Royal Encounter
by xRaela
Summary: AU. Modern Mary and Matthew. Matthew and Mary meet at the wedding of William and Kate in 2011. Matthew is a lawyer, who has recently started his own firm, while Mary is a woman, distantly related to prince William with a very modern scandal
1. Chapter 1

_Hi... I've never written a downton abbey story before, but I've read SO many and am totally in love with these two characters that when this story idea came to me I felt I had to write it. I only really have ideas for the beginning of the story, so I don't know how long it will be and I'm certainly open to suggestions._

This is modern Mary and Matthew and definitely AU.

Of course, I do not own downton abbey or its characters, however I wish I could claim them.

Please leave feedback and as I said before I am open to suggestions. Thank you

It had been a long, yet beautiful day. Matthew entered the large and grandly decorated ballroom, feeling as though he was finally able to relax and enjoy the celebrations. It was the third wedding he'd attended in almost two months, yet he knew he'd never attend another like this one. After all, meeting a befriending royalty wasn't something he'd made a habit of. Nether-the-less, that's exactly what happened over 10 years ago during his studies at The University of St Andrews. William was a dear friend of his and of course he'd grown to know and adore Kate also during this time. As soon as he'd received the invitation to their royal wedding, he knew only two things for certain; the first being that it would be like nothing he'd experienced before and like nothing he'd ever experience again, the second being that he could absolutely not attend without a date. Matthew glanced to the woman whose arm was loosely threaded through his left as they entered the room where the evening reception took place. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity as she grinned up at him, her light coloured eyelashes fluttering with mock innocence causing Matthew to sigh deeply. "Don't make me regret this Alex" he warned.

"Oh Matthew, " Alex replied "I'm simply excited and intrigued to see just how many drinks it takes for members of the royal family to let their hair down and air their dirty laundry."

"You promised me Alex"

"Alexandra. Tonight Matthew, please call me by my full name, it might make me seem more worthy of this crowd. Oooh _maybe_ you could call me Princess Alexandra; we can pretend that I'm first in line to the throne of some mysterious and barely spoke of country?" Alex laughed at Matthews wide-eyed expression before smoothing her hand over the dark fabric of his tailored suit which rested on his shoulder handsomely. "Relax Matthew, I'll be on my best behaviour; not only did I promise you that there would be no note taking, no questions and no stories published... Need I remind you that you made me sign a contract to this effect!?" Her final words still held a trace of disgust. When Matthew first agreed to let one of his oldest and best friends attend the wedding alongside him, he had joked that he would draw up a contract that stopped her writing any story about the event, or even mentioning her attendance. It wasn't until two weeks later when he produced the document on her coffee table that she actually realised he was serious.

Matthew guided Alex to the bar, "It's not that I don't trust you, but even you admitted the temptation would be far too strong if something 'juicy' were to happen. The contract simply puts my mind at ease, I'll know that if any private details of William's wedding are leaked, it won't be because I decided to bring along my friend, who just happens to be a journalist, as my date." They finally reached the grand open bar and were each quickly handled a glass of champagne.

Alex gave Matthew a sideways glance "It really is too bad you're such a great lawyer, there's no way I'm going to find a clause in that contract is there?" She laughed at Matthew's fidgety reaction to her joke as they made their way to their designated seats. "Wow" she exclaimed, taking in her surroundings, "the atmosphere has certainly relaxed considerably. Don't get me wrong, the wedding was beautiful, but that luncheon that followed was one of the most boring things I have ever attending- so much waiting around. Did you see the looks on poor Kate and William's faces? They just wanted to enjoy being married and they were pulled in so many directions; wedding portraits, balcony visits... At least they get to have a traditional reception now."

Matthew shook his head, unbuttoning his blazer and lowering himself into his seat. "You never stop do you? Analysing people, second guessing. William and Kate seemed perfectly happy, they knew the obligations for the day. Please, can you stop acting like such a nosey _pap_ and just enjoy the party?" He chuckled and Alex slumped into her chair beside him, she hated when he called her a 'pap'- she was a highly accomplished and published journalist that would never dream of lowering herself to such standards.

Matthew sipped at his champagne and surveyed the room for anyone else he may know; he knew that Brian and his fiancé were around somewhere and according to the names set out on cards, would be sat at the same table. He stood from his seat and walked around the large circular table, reading each individual card... It appeared that most of the names placed at this table were more university friends of the couple, which pleased Matthew- it had been a long time since he'd spoken to a few of them and was looking forward to catching up with them.

Still standing, Matthew was soon joined by an old friend who he enthusiastically shook hands with before politely placing a kiss on his wife's cheek. Still surveying the room as he made his way round the table and back to his seat, Matthew's eyes were drawn to one of the most beautiful sights he had ever witnessed. Alex gasped and stood beside him quickly "wow" she breathed, "they are glowing, she is beautiful." Alex spoke of the newly married couple who entered the ballroom to a round of applause. "She's changed, look Matthew; she changed her dress, I wonder who made it?" Alex tilted her head slightly and looked up at Matthew who she noticed was stood mesmerised by something other than the sight of the bride and groom. She narrowed her eyes at him before attempting and failing to follow his gaze. Quickly nudging him in the side with her elbow, she gave him a questionable look "Matthew?" She hissed, "what are you gawping at? William and Kate are here, look at her dress- it fits her perfectly."

"Hmm?" Matthew blinked hard and forced himself to look down at his friend. "Sorry, what?"

"William and Kate arrived... What were you looking at?" She stood on his tip toes, dramatically searching the room. "Or maybe _who_ were you looking at?"

Matthew sighed, gently taking hold of her elbow as they both sat in their seats. He leant towards her, trying to be discrete in his question, as their table slowly filled with friends of the royal couple. "Who is that?" He asked, nodding slightly in the direction of the top table.

Alex craned her neck "Prince Charles?" She raised her eyebrow.

"No, not there. To the left of the top table, two tables along... The woman with dark hair" he quickly found himself mesmerised once more as he caught her mid-laugh; her eyes creasing slightly as she threw her head back, obviously finding something the woman sat next to her said highly amusing.

"Oh, her... No."

"No? Her name is No? Or no, you don't know?" He asked, slightly impatient and annoyed with her answer. He didn't have to be a genius to know that she must be family of either the bride or the groom. Either that or an extremely close friend- just the sheer close proximity of her table to the top table... And something about her just seemed so adorably regal to him. He'd never seen anyone so incredibly beautiful before; the way in which she sat, laughed, carried herself- her posture... Everything he'd seen of her in those short few minutes of staring told him that he had to find out who she was.

"Oh, I know who she is, but no- you don't what to get involved with that. She'd chew you up and split you out. That's if you were unlucky enough to even get a look in. I've never seen anyone hold their head or their _nose_ so high in my life; snob."

"That still doesn't answer my question. The least you could do is tell me who she is." He turned to her impatiently, trying to keep his voice as low as possible.

Alex sighed, rolling her eyes slightly at her friend. He didn't really 'date' as such. Of course, he'd been in a few short relationships; he was a very good looking guy, but he'd never settled. She wasn't sure he'd even been in love with a woman. He worked so hard and never showed the commitment to give the impression of love before. Alex knew he was capable of it, he was certainly not afraid of commitment as far as she could tell. She'd once sent him up with a friend from work, but that didn't last long than a couple of months. All Alex knew was that this woman that had caught his eye was certainly wrong for him in more ways than one. She probably wouldn't even look at him twice, she only dated high profile celebrities and seemed to get through them faster than she got through pairs of e pensive louboutin shoes. If Alex was honest with herself, one of the many reasons she found the woman so annoying was the lack of truth she was able to gather when it came to who she was dating; she'd been in and out of the tabloids for the past 8 years; frankly she was surprised Matthew didn't know who she was himself. Ever since the scandal, she'd kept herself private; always photographed, but never answered questions or offered comments. Of course as a journalist, this was enough ammunition for Alex to have a strong dislike to was the woman.

Matthew probed further with wide eyes and finally Alex shrugged her shoulders. "Her name is Mary Crawley. Lady Mary Crawley actually. I suppose we should use her title when referring to her or she might have us thrown in prison" Alex's attempt at a joke were lost in Matthew who's attention end were returned to the mysterious woman whom he now had a name for.

"Mary" he repeated quietly.

Alex leant forward on her elbows "oh sweet Jesus" she grimaced.


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed and set this as a favourite. Your responses made me want to write more if this right away. _

_I do hope you'll continue to read and review. As I said before, I may need some story suggestions as this progresses._

_disclaimer- I do not own downton abbey or any of its characters._

_..._

"I still simply cannot believe what they wore!" Sybil sniggered behind her hand, leaning close to her eldest sister who was sat beside her. "Eugenie's dress was bad enough, but the pair of them in those hats!" Mary giggled loudly, glancing at the next table at Beatrice who still wore her hat proudly. She threw her head back with laughter, completely ignoring the look of disgust Edith was giving the pair of them. "They look like the ugly sisters from Cinderella!" Sybil added, now laughing along loudly with Mary, not caring who saw how much fun they were having so early in the evening. Even if she was unable to drink, she could still have a giggle with her sisters... Or sister she corrected in her head; since marrying her latest husband, Edith was even more boring than before.

She pressed her hand to her rounded stomach, taking deep breaths as she attempted to stop laughing "ok, ok... Stop. If I laugh anymore I may go into labour."

Mary's laughter began to calm "you were the one making jokes Sybil."

"And you laughed! You know I can't _not_ laugh along with you, especially when you get yourself into that state. Your laugh can be so infectious."

"Good evening" all three sisters looked towards the feminine voice which belonged to non other that Eugenie. Mary had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing yet again, whilst Sybil bowed her head in greeting and Edith smiled pleasantly at the Princess. Within seconds Eugenie had made her way to her table and say beside her sister; Mary and Sybil quickly erupting into more giggles.

"Oh, honestly!" Edith scolded the pair of them, "you would think you'd never seen a ridiculous hat before. You never know, maybe it's the latest fashion-"

Mary quickly interrupted her sister "_that_ is not fashion. Believe me, I would know if it were".

"I won't lie and say I've not seen some ridiculous things worn by models during one of your shows Mary."

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that Edith. Why don't you go check on Colin, I hope he hasn't croaked it like your last husband; now that wouldn't do very much for your reputation would it dear?" Her voice was dripping with classic Mary sarcasm.

"At least I have a husband" Edith retorted. Mary simply shook her head; she really didn't care for a husband, especially at the moment. Most men she met where either after fame, sex or both. She looked towards her left where Sybil sat talking in hushed tones with her own husband; their hands joined on the table, and she sighed deeply. Maybe she should go out and find her very own taxi driver; he and Sybil were perfect for each other, despite his profession...or lack of according to their father.

Mary raised her hand in a small wave as William and Kate walked by, hand in hand, to the top table. "Now _that's_ fashion" she spoke confidently, gesturing towards Kate, who wore an elegant figure hugging dress.

Edith raised an eyebrow "one of yours I suppose?"

"Of course"

"Oh Mary, it's beautiful." Sybil praised.

"Thank you darling. It's from the new line. I can send one to you if you would like." Sybil simply looked down at her very-pregnant form and sighed. "Oh don't worry darling, you'll have your figure back in no time at all. Now, if you'll excuse me for a moment, I'm going to get another glass of champagne."

Matthew watched Mary carefully as she rose from the table and gracefully made her way towards the bar. Without thinking too much about what he was doing or what he was going to say, he too stood from his table and swiftly made his way in the same direction. He had to weave around couples and crowds of people still trying to find their seats before the food was served and very almost collided into a few of them. He glanced towards the bar to check she was still there and found himself smiling when he spotted her leaning backwards against the polished wood talking with an older woman. The way in which they interacted told him they were related- her mother perhaps?

"Matthew" he felt a strong hand clap the top of his back before registering the sound of his name coming from his friend's lips. He stopped his walk towards the bar and turned to shake William's hand.

"Congratulations are definitely in order my friend" Matthew voiced kindly, noticing the way William beamed at his words.

"Thank you so very much"

"Where is the lovely Kate? She's not left you already has she?" He asked, looking over William's shoulder for a woman who was in fact not Kate at all.

William laughed a short laugh, "no, I was just fetching a couple of drinks" he lifted his large hand which held two thin glasses of champagne.

Matthew nodded, although he wasn't paying much attention "ah" he voiced, his eyes searching the area between the bar and Mary's table. He quickly found her and his face displayed clear disappointment when he noticed she was nearing her table. William frowned a little, following his friends gaze until he found his fixation and smiled.

"Would you like an introduction?"

"Hmm? Sorry William, what?"

William laughed. "Mary, my cousin. Would you like me to introduce you?"

Matthew blinked hard, fully turning towards his friend, "she's your cousin? I'm sorry for staring, I just... She..."

"Relax" he laughed again, "you look just like the description you gave if me when I first saw Kate." Matthew's eyes widened in surprise at this comment; he remembered that day and the way William looked at her vividly. "And yes, she's my third cousin. Two years younger than you and I. I'll come and find you later and I'll make the introductions, but now I must get back to my seat."

Matthew nodded, stood in the same spot for a few seconds watching as William strode towards his wife. He glanced one more quick glance towards Mary before turning in his heels and taking a few steps towards his own table. He stopped, quickly rethinking before hurrying to the bar for another drink; Alex was bound to have something sarcastic to say if he returned without a drink in his hand, on second thoughts; he should get one for her too.

Moments later, he returned to the table, gently placing the glass in front of her. "Sorry, the bar was busy" he told her as he sat himself down in the seat beside her.

Alex, who'd witnessed the entire awkward scene from a distance, simply smiled and replied with a polite "of course it was."

...

Alex dabbed at the corner of her eye, her laughter subsiding "who knew speeches at a royal wedding could be so funny?!" She announced loudly to the entire table.

Matthew raised his glass to his lips, emptying the last of the strong whiskey before replying "well Harry is a funny guy."

"You know Harry too?" Alex was open mouthed with intrigue; he always was the more interesting of the two.

Matthew shrugged, "I've met him a few times of course. William and I were really quite close during our university days. We all were, weren't we lads?" Matthew addressed the other men sat around the table, who all either nodded or grunted by means of agreeing with him. The reception was now in full swing and the men's dates had given up on attempting to keep them on the dance floor and instead opted to dance in a large group, leaving Alex as the only female left at the table. She never had been much of a dancer and was far more interested in the gossip she was hearing from the less-than-sober men sat around her, even if she was bound by contract not to publish it.

"So how old is Lady Edith's husband exactly?" Brian asked Alex; the group, who had clearly had too much to drink, thought it amusing to refer to each royal guest with emphasis on their titles.

Alex glanced at Edith and Colin, who were embraced on the dance floor, briefly before turning to him with her answer. "I believe he's in his early 50s. Slightly younger than the last one, equally rich."

"Does she really marry them for their money and just wait for them to die?"

Alex laughed at his blunt question. "Who knows for sure," she shrugged, "but she's an attractive young woman with lots to offer. She's on her second husband at only 26 years old, but who are we to judge her reasons for choosing men older than her own father?" She grinned cheekily.

"She's not as attractive as her sisters though is she?" Another of the men piped up, "poor girl, maybe she doesn't think she can do any better. The other two though... I definitely would" he winked.

"Oh, please" Matthew grimaced at the vulgar conversation.

"Alright, alright, I'll leave the pregnant one out of it for now, but the other one. Lady Mary; I bet she's a tiger in the sack!"

"Oh she's a tiger alright" Alex replied with a curl of her lip, watching Matthew carefully. "She eats men for breakfast."

Brian laughed "have you seen her sex tape?" Matthew coughed loudly, putting his hand to his chest; almost chocking on nothing by air.

Alex raised a single eyebrow in her friend's direction. "Did you not know of her starring role Matthew? First royal to be engaged in a sex-tape scandal, to be honest I'm surprised it wasn't thought of by another sooner; the amount of attention and fame she has received over the years because of it. I'm almost certain it's the reason Princess Beatrice dislikes her. Poor girl- 5th in line to the throne and some silly 'lady' with a cheap sex tape has a higher celebrity status."

"Excuse me for a moment" Matthew stood from his seat, clearing his throat and pacing quickly to the balcony; he needed some air.

Once outside, Matthew looked down over the city of London. Everything seemed calm from there and the lights that shone from the city were simply beautiful. He pushed his palms onto the rail and replayed Alex and Brian's words in his head. A sex tape? Of course, it was hardly unheard of in this day and age, but he still struggled to think of the elegant, graceful and regal woman he'd admired for the last couple of hours from afar had a _sex_ _tape_. He told himself he shouldn't judge her. After all, he hadn't even had a conversation with her yet. He ran his hands over his face to relieve some tension; he mentally kicked himself for allowing himself to become so wound up over talk about a woman he didn't know... One he had never formally met. How had he never heard of her before? How had he not seen her picture anywhere? If she was as famously scandalous as they said, how did he not know? Matthew shook his head; maybe his mother was right, maybe he did work too hard. Maybe this was the reason he was yet to meet the woman he wanted to settle with.

The sound of footsteps interrupted his thoughts and Matthew turned to find William escorting his new bride onto the balcony. "Oh sorry" Matthew apologised "I'll let you two have some time."

Kate smiled "Matthew, it's lovely to see you again" she left William's side to kiss Matthew's cheek.

"Likewise" he nodded down to the duchess before awkwardly shifting on his feet "right, well I had better" he nodded towards the ballroom.

"Oh! I almost forgot the introduction I promised." William remembered aloud. "Kate, darling, I'll just be one minute. I promised Matthew I'd introduce him to Mary." Kate nodded and before Matthew had chance to decide if this was even a good idea, he was following William across the ballroom and towards Mary's table where she sat with Sybil and Tom.


	3. Chapter 3

_Thank you so much to all those who are reading and to my reviewers- purpleshipper, sisseTrholt, on either side the river lie, vanity, americanghost, miss button hill 09 and the un-named guest. It's great to know you're interested and enjoying so far, I hope you'll continue to let me minnow what you think._

_this part if a little shorter and I'm not sure if it'll live up to any expectations you may have had, but here it goes._

_again, I do not own downton abbey or its characters _

...

Closer, closer, closer they came to the table in which she sat at. Matthew felt his heart racing with nerves; what on earth was he going to say to her?

Sybil smiled as William approached their table, pushing one hand on the table and the other on her stomach in order to stand. "Oh please Sybil no" William quickly gestured she need not stand, "I'll come to you" he stepped around Mary to place a friendly kiss in Sybil's cheek, offering Tom a quick handshake. "It won't be long until your little one arrives I see."

Sybil nodded "3 and a half weeks and counting".

William laughed in response before turning to Mary who had stood from her seat to greet him. He leant forward, placing an identical gentle kiss to her cheek that he had Sybil's. "I'm so sorry we've not had much time to catch up," he quickly glanced towards Sybil and Tom, directing that comment at all three of them rather than just Mary herself. "I'm afraid weddings can be just as much work as fun" he joked.

"It's been such a lovely evening" Mary commented, frowning a little at the man hovering slightly behind her third cousin.

Matthew's breath hitched in his throat; she'd just looked his way and she did not seem impressed. He felt the dampness of his palms as William glanced over his shoulder to begin the introductions. Oh god, he thought, how was he even supposed to address her? Lady? Lady Crawley? Lady Mary Crawley? Ms Crawley? No definitely not the last one. Just Mary perhaps? After all, this was an informal celebratory event. "Mary I'd like to introduce you to a good friend of mine" he barely heard William say. Matthew tugged nervously and somewhat awkwardly at his tie. She was smiling at him now; a polite, uneasy smile, but it was a smile.

He cleared his throat and stepped forward, offering his hand to her, suddenly remembering how clammy they had become with nerves... But it was too late, she'd placed her hand in his and suddenly he forgot about the state of his palm and his eyes travelled to where their hands joined; her touch was firm, but yet gentle; ever so gentle. He felt her hand begin to slip from his and he quickly looked to her face "Lady Mary" his words came with a small charming, yet shy smile that threw Mary off balance for a moment.

"Mary, please" she corrected. "Mary is just fine. After all, you are a friend of William's" she couldn't help but smile at the obvious nervous energy seeping through the man stood before her "and you are?"

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry. Matthew. I'm Matthew Crawley and yes I am a friend of William's, we attended university together"

Mary clasped her hands in front of her, "Crawley. No relation I assume?"

"Oh no, definitely not. Believe me, I'd know; my father had a great interest in ancestry, I've looked through his findings from time to time." Mary smiled in response, sitting back down in her chair. Matthew wasn't sure if this was an invitation to join her or if he was simply being dismissed; he decided to try his luck and sit in the vacant seat beside her. "How have you found the evening so far? I heard there will be a spectacular fireworks display in an hour or so."

Mary nodded, "indeed there will be. I've had a pleasant evening. So, tell me Matthew, what do you do?" Her slightly arched eyebrow that paired the question made Matthew wonder if she was genuinely interested or just trying to make pleasant conversation.

"I'm a lawyer" he informed her, "I've just opened my own firm in fact; Crawley and associates, not very original I know but-"

"Oh nonsense. All of these law firms are surnames of the lawyers who either own or founded them. I suppose it's the 'in' thing to do." She glanced over his shoulder, noticing that William had long left them to it and quickly spotted him passing the bar where her own mother and father were stood. Mary narrowed her eyes slightly, watching as her father enthusiastically shook William's hand, while her smiling mother looked directly and indiscreetly at her. Matthew turned in his seat, curiously. "This was their idea wasn't it?" Her sudden question prompted him to quickly turn his full attentions back to the woman sat beside him.

"Sorry, I'm afraid you've lost me"

Mary rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed and Matthew nervously glanced at Sybil and Tom who were locked in their own private interaction. "You've been asked to come and introduce yourself, sit with me... Woo me maybe, however they worded it." Matthew's eyes widened at the accusation, still a little confused by her sudden outburst to say the least. "I just cannot believe they managed to get William in on it."

"Sorry, who are we talking about?" Matthew shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"My parents of course. You must have something going for you, I'll give you that; they wouldn't have set it up if they didn't think you were the perfect gentleman. How did they persuade you Matthew? Did they-"

"Now just stop right there." Matthew leant forward, quickly grasping Mary's gesturing hand, which had become wilder with each word she spoke. Mary paused, lowering her eyes to his hand on hers. "Sorry" he apologised before releasing his hold on her, "but let me just set the record straight here. I was not sent over by your parents. I've never even met your parents." He watched as her shoulders visibly relaxed, yet her expression was still suspicious. Matthew sighed "pathetic as it may be, I was simply a man mesmerised by the beautiful woman across the room; admiring not so subtly from afar. Your cousin caught me out and offered the introduction... Maybe I should have declined. I'm sorry if you thought I -"

"Was?" Mary cut him off, her eyes now sparkling a little as she smiled mischievously. Her eyes connected with his silently for a few moments before she pressed further; "you said you 'was' a man mesmerised- is that your way of telling me that you no longer are?" Her lips twitched playfully; she was flirting he realised. How can a woman go so quickly from accusations to flirting, he wondered.

Matthew cleared his throat, leaning forward slightly and speaking in a low tone "clearly a mistake on my part. I'm sure you know lawyers are terrible with words as soon as they step out of the courtroom."

"I'm sorry for accusing you of being sent here as part of a set up" her voice came across soft and sincere. "Unfortunately it has become habit for my parents, particularly my father, to interfere in my personal life. The amount of foreign ambassadors and members of parliament I've been 'introduced' to are ridiculous. Any man perceived high in society has made it on their list of potential candidates for me... My father once joked that if we were in the early nineteenth century that _William_ and I would have been 'naturally' paired together. My father would have just loved that- a queen in the making." Matthew raised his eyebrows at her openness. He watched curiously as Sybil leant from her own seat to whisper something in her sister's ear to which Mary simply rolled her eyes. "Forgive me Matthew, my darling sister here believes me to be rude and obnoxious."

"I did not say that" Sybil defended.

"In your own 'Sybil' was you did" Mary retorted.

"We'll if it makes you feel any better, I am certainly not 'high society'. I simply wanted to meet you. To be totally honest, I didn't even know who you were until earlier this evening."

"We'll that'll loose you some serious dating points" Sybil joked, earning her Mary's award winning death stare.

"Who said anything about dating, dear Sybil? We are simply having a conversation, isn't that right Matthew?" He nodded in reply. "I do, however hope you'll spare me a few moments to dance" she smirked at him, "I'm afraid the offers I've have this evening have been rather inadequate and I am yet to break in my shoes" her words were laced with a teasing humour and Matthew couldn't help but become more mesmerised and intrigued by her.

Sybil sat back comfortably in her chair, watching their continued interaction curiously. For the longest time, Mary had been so guarded; Sybil could not remember a time where she had seen her sister act so girlish around a man... Playful, flirty and even a little shy. Of course she had witnessed her brash flirtatious with men she knew their father would not approve of, she'd even witnessed to cold knock-backs she threw at men who over stepped the mark. One thing that Sybil knew for certain was that she had not seen Mary like _this_ around a guy since she was a teenager. Sybil observed the way in which this Matthew Crawley looked at her sister; his eyes were fixed on hers and his smile caused his face to crease slightly. His voice was smooth in tone, yet she could tell he was nervous. He was definitely one to watch and certainly someone she'd be asking Mary about later.


	4. Chapter 4

_Wow. Thank you all SO much for the reviews, follows and favourites. The feedback has been great- I love to know that you're enjoying it and what you're thinking._

_I hope you like this part just as much_.

...-...

Early spring light escaped into Matthews bedroom the following morning. He stretched his aching muscles and glanced at the clock on his bedside table, confirming his suspicions that he'd slept most of the morning away.

He'd dreamt of her; he was sure of that. He woke with a fluttering feeling in his stomach, yet this could have been alcohol induced. Matthew closed his eyes against the bright light and fond, sweet, fresh memories of Mary took over him; her sweet scent, sparkling eyes and luminous smile. He could almost _feel_ her hand in his, the soft curve of her waist under his palm, he could almost _hear_ her laugh, having joked that he'd have to keep the most respectable dancing distance in the company of her parents and other members of her family. Matthew grinned a little, remembering the mischievous look in her eyes after he practically pushed her as far away from him as possible during their dance when he realised her suspicions were true; they had spectators - the parental kind. He was sure they'd wonder who he was; who was this man dancing with their beautiful, eligible daughter? Oh, he was certain they'd been eyeing him suspiciously, especially after hearing of their match making attempts from Mary.

Mary had told him to relax; told him that everyone had had far much to drink to even care who he was or why he was dancing with her. Then she smirked again; that same smile that was anything but innocent; a dangerous smile for any man to witness "I promise I won't start to 'bump and grind' against you, or whatever it is they call it". Horizontal on his bed, Matthew laughed just as he had done when she'd said it.

Their time on the dance floor didn't last long; she was soon whisked away by an unknown (to him) family member. She turned to him with an apologetic smile and assured him she'd catch up with him later "perhaps we will watch the fireworks together?" She called over her shoulder. Matthew couldn't do anything other than smile and stutter; she'd left his side so quickly- too quickly for him to respond as he would have liked.

Matthew kicked the sheets from his body and flung his legs over the bed. He sat on the edge for a moment or two, assessing his hangover, before gently pushing himself into standing position and staggering from his bedroom. As it turned out, he didn't get to speak with Mary again, didn't watch the fireworks with her; he didn't even have chance to see them. And that was all thanks to one person; the same person who was currently passed out on his sofa.

In the bathroom, Matthew curled his lip in disgust. He sighed heavily before pacing back out into the living area of his apartment. Blonde feathery hair hung over the arm of his sofa and he quickly gave Alex a firm shake.

"What? Where's the fire?" Alex pushed her hair from her face, her mouth dry and foul tasting.

Matthew crossed his arms over his t-shirt clad chest, looking down at her pathetically "there's vomit on the toilet seat." Alex waved her hand in front of her face, dismissing him before collapsing back down under the blanket. "_your_ vomit is currently on _my_ toilet seat".

"Alright, alright. Just 5 more minutes ok?"

"No. I need to use the toilet"

"What's your problem?" She grumbled, "you don't use the seat anyway unless you... Oh. Ew. Ok, maybe I should pee first."

Matthew shook his head "it stinks Alex!" He swiftly moved behind the sofa and into the small kitchen area, pulling a frying pan out of a cupboard. "I'm making eggs" he informed her, before collecting a clean cloth and a bottle of cleaning fluid from another cupboard and pacing back to his space in front of the sofa, placing the items on the coffee table in front of her with some force. "You're not getting any until you've cleaned it up."

...

Mary sat at her kitchen counter, nursing a strong cup of coffee when the doorbell rang. She groaned, leaving the mug on the counter and tightening her ivory silk robe around her before making her way to the front door. She peered through the peep hole and another small groan escaped her as she unlocked and opened the door of her town house. "It's Sunday" she informed Anna who immediately stepped inside.

Mary closed the door behind her "it's Sunday morning and I gave you the day off; something tells me this isn't good news."

Anna winced, following Mary through to the kitchen "it's not."

"Come on then, out with it. Bad news on a Sunday can only mean bad press." Mary lifted her mug to her lips, allowing her eyes to flutter blissfully shut as the hot liquid filled her mouth and glided effortlessly down her throat.

Anna stepped around the kitchen counter, pouring a mug of coffee for herself and placing the pot back. She leaned against the opposite counter, watching Mary carefully as she spoke "well, there's good news too; everyone is saying how great you looked yesterday. Some are even going as far to say that you and Pippa stole the show"

Mary rolled her eyes "it was a wedding, not a show; Kate looked beautiful." She gestured for Anna to pass her the pot of coffee and she quickly refilled her mug.

"You should see the things they're saying about Beatrice and Eugenie and their hats" Anna sniggered, trying to put off having to tell Mary her other news

Mary simply shrugged "you should have heard the things _Sybil_ was saying about them" she smiled a little at the memory. "Come on Anna. Just tell me, I'm sure they've written worse things about me than whatever this is"

Anna took a deep breath to prepare herself "they're saying you had sex with a random man in the cloakroom at the royal wedding" Mary coughed, almost spitting her mouthful of coffee back into her mug.

"What!?" She placed her mug back onto the counter. "There's not even an ounce of truth... Where did they even?" Mary sighed. "This is never going to end it is? Now they're just blatantly making stories up."

"I'm so sorry Mary."

Mary shook her head "it's not your fault Anna. Is it printed yet?"

Anna shrugged a little "they called me for a comment half an hour ago. I told them it was false of course. It's just an online gossip magazine. It'll probably blow over and not be picked up by anyone else."

"Hmm" Mary didn't sound convinced "I hope so..." Mary let herself think of Matthew, wondering where he had gone after they danced. She'd looked for him before and after the fireworks with no luck. "I really do hope so... I think I met someone last night" she added her confession quietly, almost surprising herself with her honesty.

...

Matthew sat opposite a groggy Alex at his small kitchen table, each with a plate of eggs and toast. " You had better be able to keep that in your stomach."

"Relax, I feel fine. Thank you for last night; I don't remember much from about midnight, but I do remember you dragging me into a taxi and throwing me on your sofa." She smiled a little and if Matthew didn't know her any better he'd have sworn he saw a little embarrassment in her eyes.

"I had to get you out of there before you made a fool out of yourself. You were practically rolling around on the table."

" I was doing my coyote ugly impression"

"You couldn't even walk"

Alex rolled her eyes "you're just annoyed that I ruined your chances with _Lady_ _Mary_"

Matthew scoffed at her suggestion, "I barely had a chance with her anyway."

"Did it not go well? I thought you might have at least got her phone number?"

Matthew shook his head "we danced a little, talked a little... Laughed a little" Alex grimaced at his slightly dreamy look. "And then before I knew it, I was taking you home. I don't know what got into me anyway; maybe the champagne gave me more courage than I'm used to. She is totally out of my league."

Alex shook her head "nah, you're far too good for her. I told you that; her reputation is hideous."

...

"What do you mean? You _think_ you met someone?" Anna sat on the stool next to Mary, her voice showing obvious excitement; she'd been Mary's personal assistant and friend for 9 years and this may have been the first time she'd heard her say anything along the lines of actually liking someone. Of course, there was her ex boyfriend from 8 years ago, but since then Mary had kept herself extremely guarded and private; she was photographed with men, had dinner with them, even engaged in casual sex from time to time. Funnily enough, nearly every story about her personal life since the scandal had been untrue; she allowed the press to think she was dating these famous men she was photographed with from time to time. She'd learnt that the more she commented and denied the rumours, the more they cared about them and the more stories they printed.

Mary sighed "a man approached me last night... In fact he had William introduce us. He was..." She searched for an appropriate word, "charming and totally unassuming."

"And?" Anna could barely contain her excitement, this guy sounded promising.

Mary shrugged "and nothing, we spoke a little; he was amusing, and not in a 'oh god' kind of way, but in a good way; we shared some banter. I asked him to dance-" Mary held her palm up to silence Anna, "yes _I_ asked him to dance and we did for a little while. He held me at arms length; of course my father's eyes were burning the back of his head. I got called away, promised to watch the fireworks with him but then he just disappeared."

"Like a modern day Cinderella story" Anna rested her chin on her hand.

"Don't joke Anna. I don't know where he went. He seemed interested... I think I was interested."

"And you've got no way of contacting him?"

Mary sighed in defeat "none at all"


	5. Chapter 5

_Hello again._

_i love that you all seem to be enjoying reading this as much as I am writing it. I hope I can continue a good pace of updating the story, but your reviews have encouraged me SO much, so thank you all for those. _

_Your responses have been very kind and its great to know what you all think, some of them amuse me a little too, so please do keep them coming._

_thank you again and I hope you enjoy this next part. _

...-...

Mary's overly large and spacious office was beautiful; the walls the palest shade of green, the furniture the purest of white, adorned with decorative items such as cushions, candles, and paintings in the finest shades of greens, blues, lilacs and white. The floor was covered (quite unusually for an office) in the softest, whitest carpet and the large window that covered an entire wall behind her desk looked out onto the city of London. Some might say her office held much more space than was needed; that she kept it minimalistic. However, Mary enjoyed having the space to walk on her carpet with bare feet; she quite often paced the floor to relax herself or when she needed to think. Her desk was large and held a number of personal photos, and almost in the centre of the room stood an oval shaped white wooden table. The table, which had the sole purpose of displaying a large vase of delicate and beautiful flowers which matched the decor of the room perfectly, had intricate carvings of roses surrounding the edge and the three legs which joined together and then curved outwards on the floor.

A heavily pregnant Sybil stretched out on the plush sofa, in the perfect position of complete comfort- something she found extremely difficult to achieve recently. She flicked through one of the many fashion magazines which were, as ever, piled on a white coffee table nearby. She looked up from the pages she was barely taking notice of and glanced at her older sister, who sat behind her desk going through sketches and attaching post-it notes to them. Sighing with forced dramatics, Sybil placed one hand on her swollen stomach "I am here you know Mary."

Mary rose her eyes from the sketch on her desk for the shortest of seconds before returning them back to her work "not all of us can be on maternity leave Sybil. I've got work to do." Mary was busy looking through the latest sketches for the autumn line and making notes on materials and changes.

"I'm sure it could wait half an hour."

"Sybil, you've been here for almost an hour already and I'm almost positive you'll be there, in that same position, for at least another two." Mary continued to leaf through sketches as she spoke.

"You know," Sybil started, attempting to move her sister's attention away from her work, "Granny text me yesterday and asked who that 'blonde man Mary was dancing at the reception' was" Sybil put on her best Granny Violet impression. She smirked, noticing Mary stop what she was doing. Of course, she was subtle with it; she kept her head down and pretended to look uninterested, but Sybil knew better. "I told her nothing of course, that he's nobody important."

"Right, of course," Mary agreed, "and quite rightly too. I tell you, Edith teaching Granny to text was possibly one of her worst ideas yet. At least with a phonecall you can ignore it; everyone knows a text only takes a few seconds to read and reply to."

"Mary?"

"Hmm?" She began leafing through the sketches once more, making a quick note on a yellow post-it and placing it on top of one.

"You liked him."

Mary immediately scoffed, placing the sketches on her desk and finally looking up at her sister "I don't even _know_ him"

"Call him"

"Sybil" Mary sighed impatiently. "Even if I wanted to, I can't; we didn't exchange details, there wasn't time."

"He's friends with William isn't he? Can't you just-"

"No Sybil!" Mary almost snapped at her, her voice immediately regaining its usual calmness to it, "I am not contacting William in order to contact Matthew; the idea is just desperate and ridiculous. Now, can we please just talk about something else. What do you want for lunch? Would you rather order in?"

Sybil simply smiled, knowing not to press the matter anymore, but certain her sister had thought of Matthew at least once since the wedding. "Oh! Mary, the baby's kicking. Quick, get up... Feel"

Mary rolled her eyes "I've felt it a million times already, one kick feels just like another. And I wish you and Tom would find out what it is. Calling a baby 'it' is highly unflattering and I have _no_ idea what to get i-... the baby until I know the sex."

"You'll know soon enough, just a few more weeks." They were interrupted by a light knocking on the glass door. Mary smiled and gestured with a small wave of her hand for Anna to enter.

"Sorry to interrupt Mary, but that situation you told us to handle? Well, it's proving more difficult that we thought."

"Which situation are we talking about Anna?"

"The woman accusing us of stealing her designs, she says she has proof and wants everyone to know they came from her."

Mary sighed, immediately rising from her seat and walking round her desk so that she was face to face with Anna. "What proof?" Anna shrugged. "Anna, please tell me her claims can't possibly be true."

"No, certainly not. We.. You approve everything. Nobody would ever-"

"Okay" Mary held out her palm to stop Anna from continuing. "We are going to need a lawyer by the sounds of it."

Anna nodded "I'll call Barnes and associates right away."

Mary raised an eyebrow, "no" she said simply. Anna's eyes showed her confusion and Mary simply crossed one arm over her abdomen while the fingers on her other hand came to rest in her lips for a moment. Then within a few seconds, she'd turned back to her desk, scribbled something on a piece of paper and handed it to Anna. "We'll use someone different for this. I never did like Simon Barnes anyway."

Anna took the slip of paper from Mary and immediately left the room. Sybil gave her sister an amused glance; both eyebrows high, her lips curved into a smirk. "What?" Mary asked, sitting back down in her chair.

"And you said you didn't like him." She grinned.

Mary bowed her head, trying and failing to hide her small smile, "no Sybil, I said I didn't know him."

...

In another London building, Matthew sat in his own office. While considerably smaller and far less expensive than Mary's, he'd certainly done well for himself when securing this space for his new firm. He sat at his desk, laptop open, researching for a case. Since his firm started just 7 months ago, he'd secured two steady business clients and managed to stay busy with a few criminal cases a month. It was Monday morning and the case he was working on was only small; the research he was doing was almost unnecessary. He sighed and clicked onto the second tab that he had open and began to scan the many news items that mentioned Lady Mary Crawley. Just as he was about to click on her Wikipedia page, he was interrupted by an impatient knock on his door. Matthew quickly returned to his original tab and called for them to come in. "What is it Joseph?" He asked his secretary.

"Sorry Mr Crawley, but there's somebody here to see you. She called a little while ago but apparently doesn't understand the meaning of the word 'appointment'."

"Send her in" Matthew nodded, "I've not got much on."

"Very well" Joseph nodded, disappearing behind the heavy wooden door momentarily, only to return with a smartly dressed blonde woman behind him. Matthew waited while Joseph offered the young lady something to drink, to which she declined, and then left them alone in his office.

"What can I help you with?" Matthew asked, leaning back in his chair.

The woman straightened out her deep grey pencil skirt before sitting on one of the two chairs on the opposite side of his desk. "My boss needs some legal advice... Well more than advice actually, but that's what you are; you're a lawyer and I've been sent to fetch you for a meeting with her." She stood from her seat "I have a car waiting outside, I'll escort you to her office and the car will bring you back once you're done." The woman spoke quickly and matter-of-factly; she seemed almost impatient.

Matthew stood from his seat "I do beg your pardon, but this is my place of business. I meet with my clients in this building and in this building alone; certainly for initial consultation at least."

"With all due respect Mr Crawley, my boss is a very busy woman and I'm sure she'd be much more comfortable to discuss matters in her own office, rather than travel half way across London to meet with you."

Matthew raised his eyebrows for a short moment "and with all due respect to you and your boss; as I said before, this is my office and _i'd_ be more comfortable discussing matters here." He pushed his hands into his trouser pockets and watched curiously as the blonde woman turned her back to him and pulled a blackberry from her blazer pocket.

"He won't get in the car" she spoke into her phone. "No, said he does business here and only here. I said you were busy and- oh, okay. Um sure, yes certainly, I'll make him aware." Slowly, she pushed her phone back into her pocket and almost in a state of shock, turned to face him again "she's on her way."

...

Mary gently placed her office phone down before pressing a call button, waiting for a response "I'll need the car right away" she informed them before standing from her chair, pushing her feet into her 5 inch heels and striding towards a full length mirror. Sybil watched as she pushed a few loose strands of hair over her ear before pulling them forward again. She smirked a little as her sister reapplied her subtle shade of lipstick and sprayed herself with perfume. "Sybil, I've got a meeting."

"Are you kicking me out?"

Mary pushed her arms through her black jacket and smoothed it out, "no, you can stay if that will please you, but I have no idea how long I'll be. I'll call Anna on the way, ask her to bring you some lunch back with her."

Sybil continued to watch Mary as she fussed a little with her jacket and then picked up her bag and phone and made her way to the door. "Say hello to Matthew for me" Sybil's voice was teasing and she grinned when her sister paused with her hand on the door handle. Mary didn't even turn to respond, she simply froze for a few seconds before opening the door, leaving her office and closing it behind her again. Sybil continued to watch her sister through the large windows until she approached the lift and was out of sight. She shook her head slightly, giggling to herself as she began to flick through another fashion magazine "and she said she doesn't like him." Right on cue, she felt a strong kick from inside of her and she patted her stomach gently with one hand "Aunty Mary has a boyfriend baby and you might just get to meet this one."


	6. Chapter 6

_... Me again. And so soon too!?_

_your reviews overnight inspired me to write more. However, there is something much more important I should be doing right now. Maybe now I've got this little scene out of my head and typed, I'll be able to stop procrastinating :/ _

_thank you all again for your kind words and encouragement. I hope this next part is to your liking_.

...-...

Mary briefly took in her surroundings as she entered the building; a small section of cubical desks were empty except for one, where a young girl seemed to be busy at work. To her left was a wooden door with a silver plaque labelling it as the conference room and to her right was a singular desk, directly in front of another wooden door; this one marked "Matthew Crawley". Mary breezed to the desk and announced herself to Joseph with confidence, "Lady Mary Crawley to see Matthew Crawley, I believe my assistant is with him now."

Joseph almost tripped over his own words "ah, yes m'am, my Lady umm." He clamped his mouth shut and Mary tried to hide her smirk. "I'll show you in" he held his hands stiffly at his sides as he strode towards Matthew's door, wondering for a moment if his boss could possibly be related to a Lady.

Anna tried not to tap her foot impatiently on the wooden floor as she waited for Mary to arrive. It was clear to her that the man behind the desk was only attempting to appear busy as they waited. Suddenly the door swung open and Joseph appeared. Matthew looked up from his laptop just in time to hear his words "Lady Mary Crawley to see you."

Matthew immediately stood from his seat, pushing his laptop closed, his heart pounding furiously in his chest... Surely not, he thought to himself. But then only seconds later, Mary stepped around Joseph, awarding Matthew with a small nervous smile and Matthew felt himself moving towards her. By the time he'd reached her, Joseph had left the small office and closed the door behind him.

Disconected with his own actions, Matthew gently sought for and raised Mary's hand to his mouth; which he lowered with a small bow if his head. The greeting "Lady Mary" slipped effortlessly from his lips only a moment before his mouth grazed her knuckles. The contact of her skin under his lips seemed to jolt Matthew back to reality, and he quickly took a large step backwards, unable to keep eye contact with the woman before him.

Mary raised her right eyebrow in amusement "please Matthew, Mary is just fine. That will be all Anna." She glanced quickly towards her bemused assistant who obediently nodded and left the room.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to.." He gestured to her hand, ".. I don't know what came over me, I -"

"No need to apologise Matthew," she replied evenly, "I thought it quite charming actually... And they say chivalry is dead." Mary watched him blush before her and she felt herself smile sweetly. "Will you be inviting me to sit Matthew?"

"Oh, certainly. Yes, of course." He stepped towards one of the chairs in front of his desk and held the back of it for a moment. Mary gracefully lowered herself onto the less than comfortable chair and placed her clasped hands in her lap as Matthew rounded the desk and sat in his own chair behind it. He folded his hands together on his desk, casting his eyes downwards for a moment trying to plan his words; what was the purpose of her visit? Was it simply a coincidence? He inhaled deeply before speaking, "your assistant informed me that you needed a lawyer?" He checked, keeping his tone professional.

"Indeed I do." She nodded. "You see, I own and run a designer fashion house and just recently-"

"Sorry, what is the name of your brand?" Matthew asked quickly, picking up a pen to take notes... Professional... He told himself, stay professional.

Mary's lips curved, remembering his comment about the name of his firm the other night, smirking a little as she answered "Lady Mary." Matthew, too, could not hide his small smile and Mary immediately repeated his words from the night of the wedding "not very original, I know."

Matthew smiled and shrugged "maybe it's the 'in' thing to do." Proofing to himself and Mary just how much their conversation had stayed with him. "But, I must ask... You've corrected me twice already, insisted I call you only Mary and yet you give your brand the title? Why not just Mary Crawley?" He was genuinely interested.

Mary shrugged "I thought it to be ironic really. It came at a time where I was... Lets just say my name was hardly said in the nicest of ways, particularly in the media and there was talk of stripping me of it."

"Your title?" He checked. Marry nodded. "Can they do that?"

"Definitely they could have. I was torn between wanting an identity away from that and holding onto my own and my fathers pride in family and as he likes to put it, 'status'" she smiled a little. "All the designs were there, people in fashion were excited about it and I had a decision to make; did I want to seemingly and publicly shun and disrespect my title or did I want to hold onto it?" Mary shrugged, "it may seem silly to you and I don't usually indulge people in the whole truth, but"

Matthew shook his head "it's not silly."

Mary smiled appreciatively "and I insist on you calling me Mary because otherwise it is too formal and I'm not sure that I want that with you."

"It suits you, you know... 'Lady' more than anyone else I can possibly imagine, it suits you perfectly."

"Rightly or wrongly, I will take that as a compliment"

"It was certainly meant as one" shy smiles and curious eyes met briefly; curious for one another. Matthew cleared his throat and gripped his pen tightly "so, you were telling me your need for my assistance..." He prompted.

Mary twisted her fingers together and shifted in the chair, looking away from him for just a second to refocus, "there's a university student, here in London, claiming that we stole her designs for our spring/summer line".

"And these claims are false? Sorry, I have to ask" Mary nodded with certainty, not at all offended by his question. "Does she say she has proof of her claims?"

"The original designs apparently, but they could easily just be a copy of what she's seen in the media."

"Okay, well I'm going to need her lawyer's details. I'll make contact and we can go from there? This might be better managed quietly."

"Of course... I'm just not sure the girl agrees." Matthew jotted a few more notes. "I'll get Anna to contact you with the details; I would like this dealt with, not only quietly, but also as quickly as possible."

"I will try my best." He answered her and felt his stomach dip when she stood to leave; wondering if there was any legitimate reason for him to ask her to stay a while longer.

Mary pushed her fingers into small compartment of her bag, feeling for a small piece of card she'd placed there during the car ride. She smiled a little as Matthew stood from his chair, pulling at his suit nervously "I'll manage in seeing myself out" she told him good-naturedly.

"Mary..." Matthew voiced, his mind still telling him to stay professional, but he chose to no longer listen; knowing he'd regret not asking the question swirling his mind and overshadowing every ounce of professionalism he prided himself in. "Please tell me... Was this a coincidence? You, here, in my office. Did your assistant simply follow an instruction to get in touch with a lawyer or..." He cleared his throat, "...or did you ask her to contact me specifically?" He bowed his head a little in embarrassment, noticing how Mary shifted in her stance, now looking slightly uncomfortable herself.

Mary's fingers tightened around the piece of card and she pulled her fingers from out of her bag. Biting down for a short moment on her lip, Mary stepped closer to the front of his desk. Matthew watched her carefully as she fiddled with something white in her hands and... Did she just blush? Mary finally made eye contact with him, her deep eyes sincere as she began to speak "I'm afraid, Matthew, that if I answer that truthfully that you may think of me as 'forward', to which I certainly am not, contrary to popular belief." Matthew couldn't help but smile at her hidden meaning. He wanted to say something to her, anything, but couldn't find words that could follow her own quite so beautifully. Mary placed the small piece of card on his desk and quickly turned on her heels, offering him a small wave and smile over her shoulder before closing the door behind her and before he knew it, she was gone.

Matthew slowly lowered himself into his chair once more, reaching out for the card she'd placed on his desk, expecting it to be a business card, but smiling when he realised that it wasn't. He traced his fingers briefly over the handwritten telephone number and the name above it; 'Mary'. Her writing was almost as beautiful as she... Almost. He moved his fingers to his lips, his mind racing rapidly at what this meant and suddenly it struck him... What on earth was he meant to do with this now?


	7. Chapter 7

_I cannot believe I have more of this for you already, but I do..._

_I will warn you though, this pace simply cannot and will not continue (lol), I've had time off work this week and usually I'm at work 40+ hours on top of an open university degree. I'll try to keep a good pace of updating though, maybe 1 or 2 parts each week, but for now I'm on a role and your reviews are certainly spurring me on._

_I was a little reluctant to post this so soon, hoping that I'm not posting too soon for some of you- knowing that some who have been reviewing most or every chapter have not reviewed the last two. But then I figured that catching up is nice... Means there's more to read. Plus it was written and I couldn't just leave it sat here on my iPad doing nothing. _

_Thanks guys for all the lovely reviews, as I've said they encourage me greatly and without them I'm sure my writing wouldn't be coming as quickly. I like that a few of you have said you always want more when it finishes. (i know my posts are quite short, but I like to write until it feels like a natural ending for me) i often find that many of my favourite fics have been ones I've always wanted more of, so I thank you for those comments. _

_Anyway..._

...-...

Having already typed Mary's number into his phone and placed the card with it written in his draw (unable to throw it away), Matthew opened up his laptop and found the Wikipedia tab. He began to scan Mary's biography... Lady Mary Crawley, born on 11th March 1984, eldest daughter of... Matthew paused, looking away from the screen for a moment. What was he doing? He _liked_ this woman, why was he studying her like a case? Because she had a Wikipedia page, he told himself. This stuff was common knowledge to most anyway, she'd probably suspect he already knew it. He scanned further down the page, reading the first sentence about her early education and then promptly closed the laptop... No. If he was going to pursue Mary like he hoped he'd find the courage to... If he were to get to know her, he wanted to do it naturally. So what if his friends would know more about her than he did right away? He realised that he wanted to hear her stories in her words, know her passions, her fears, her family... Oh god, her very very _royal_ family. Matthew swallowed hard.

Of course, he already knew William well, but that was different. He was nice, friendly, down to earth... As was Kate and Harry was a good guy. Matthew sighed, reminding himself to not get carried away; he had her telephone number and that was all. They'd shared two or three conversations and a dance, nothing more and certainly nothing less. It was nothing to write home about... Suppose she wasn't interested at all? But why would she be so 'forward', to use her own word, and arrange this meeting, give him the number if she wasn't interested in him as he was her?

Matthew taped his fingers on the desk, glancing up at the clock on his wall. Perhaps it was time for a lunch break and then maybe he just might be able to focus on something _other_ than Lady Mary Crawley.

... ... ...

Mary breezed into her office, almost startling both Anna and Sybil who were sat on the white sofa engrossed in conversation. "Ooh, lunch! Good" she smiled and dropped her bag by her desk before dropping down onto the soft cushions next to her youngest sister.

Sybil gave Anna a look that almost said 'I told you so'; her eyebrows raised, eyes pointing towards Mary and Anna stifled a short giggle. "Here" Sybil said, handing Mary a plastic container "Anna picked up a Caesar for you."

"Thank you Anna. You're a darling." Mary leaned forward to grab a plastic fork from the coffee table and opened up her salad with enthusiasm, almost oblivious to the two women watching her closely. "So, what did I miss?"

Anna coughed and Sybil turned to face her sister directly, "what did _you_ miss?" She asked her sister, "I think we should be asking you the same question!"

Mary frowned, pushing her fork into a leaf of lettuce, spearing it into her mouth. She looked from Sybil to Anna and back to Sybil again; both with wide expectant eyes and she knew she'd been caught out. Through her chewing, she smiled a little; careful to keep her mouth firmly closed. She finally swallowed and sighed "okay, what do you want to know?"

Sybil almost jumped with excitement at the prospect of girl talk with her sister. Of course, they'd done it plenty of times, but almost never with the topic of Mary's personal life on the table. "You went to see Matthew!" It was certainly a statement and not a question, yet Mary knew she was meant to elaborate.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me I was walking into his office! You didn't even tell me his name when we spoke yesterday." Anna chimed in. "... And you said you had no way of contacting him!"

Sybil shook her head "she could have just asked William." Mary narrowed her eyes slightly at her sister; she could not believe how much they were ganging up on her! Really, it wasn't that exciting was it? They weren't to know that the man she'd only met twice already gave her butterflies when he smiled at her the way he did.

"And she knew where he worked" Anna confirmed. "So, come on... How did it go... Are you two going out anywhere?"

Mary simply rolled her eyes "we had a business meeting" she teased, pushing more of her salad into her mouth before they were able to ask her anything else.

"Oh, pull the other one!" Anna exclaimed. "We use Barnes and associates all the time and you choose now to change lawyers!?"

"Such a good excuse to see him again though." Sybil praised. "Well done, Mary."

Mary shook her head, a small laugh escaping her "you two are unbelievable."

"Just tell us how it went before I go into labour... Please?" Sybil softened her voice and her eyes simultaneously, the same way she used to do as a child for Mary to side with her over something Edith had done.

Mary sighed in defeat "he's going to help us with the design issue... Anna you are to send the opposing lawyer's information to him. Just ring it through, I forgot to get his email address. And..."

"And!?" Both women prompted.

Mary bowed her head, a small amount of shyness visible to her action, before looking directly at her sister and then Anna "I gave him my number."

Sybil squealed and wrapped her arms around Mary, as much as her large stomach would allow. "Edith will not believe it!" She released her sister, sitting back with a wide smile on her face, "she's always going on about -no you won't settle and you'll never just put yourself out there, but you just-"

"Do not tell Edith."

"But Mary! How will she know I was right!? I told her only yesterday that I thought you liked him, I said I hoped you'd gotten his number. But of course, she dismissed it, dismissed you; saying the usual things and-"

"Edith will be Edith. Just like members of the press, I could hardly care what she thinks. Please, just don't tell her. I'd rather her mock me over something she _thinks_ she knows about, rather than something true."

Sybil nodded slowly, finally seeing in Mary's eyes just how much Edith's words still affected her, Mary was always known as the strong one; 'the Crawley without a heart' Mary once labelled herself in jest. She, like the rest of her family believed the strong exterior to be mostly true. Of course, Sybil never believed she had no heart; her sister was always so caring towards her, affectionate and loving. She'd always assumed Edith was slightly jealous of their friendship as they grew up. She believed her to be strong, she believed her to be unaffected by most things that were said about her. She didn't want to believe that Mary kept her true feelings hidden from her, not when she was so open with hers; when Mary was her one true confidant. Sybil took Mary's hand loosely in hers, rewarding her with a small smile; maybe she wasn't as strong as she always made out to be.

"Anna, please telephone those details through to Crawley and associates now before it slips our minds" Mary asked quickly, waiting for Anna to exit before turning to her sister once more; her hand still in hers. "Sybil, when you first met Tom, how did... Did it feel any different to meeting other men?"

Sybil frowned "like love at first sight?"

Mary shook her head, dismissing the idea. "Oh no, nothing like that. Just..." She blushed a little, wondering how she of all people managed to end up in a position where she was asking her younger sister for insight into dating. "... Did the way he looked at you, spoke to you... Did it make you feel different inside to how you would usually feel."

Sybil twisted her lips. It was a question she couldn't honestly answer; she was so young when she met Tom, she'd barely looked at another man. "Is that how Matthew makes you feel?" She pressed gently.

Mary shrugged "he's not a creep, if that's what you mean. He doesn't look at me like I'm a piece of meat. He has a charming quality to him that I'm not sure I've ever known before... He kissed my hand in greeting today." Sybil burst into unexpected laughter. "Don't laugh!" Mary scolded with a smirk, pulling her hand away and slapping her sisters arm lightly.

"Aww Mary, you're such a romantic at heart" she teased, still giggling heavily when Anna re-entered the room. Both sisters turned and smiled in her direction.

"So..." She sat back down, picking up a bottle of water, "... Do you think he'll call? Text?"

Mary shrugged and Sybil answered for her "of course; he'll call."

"He might not" Mary told herself, more than the others.

Anna leant forward, elbows on her knees "do you want him to call?"

"Of course she does"

Mary smiled softly at Sybil's answer and inhaled deeply, "I do. That much I'm sure of at least."

"And if he doesn't?" Anna probed.

"He will" Sybil spoke up confidently.

Mary rolled her eyes, "Sybil"

"He will Mary. You'll see. And anyway, you know where he works and you have to see him on occasion for work now, you'll soon have him eating out the palm of your hand."

Mary grimaced slightly "you make him sound like a puppy."

Sybil patted her hand gently in response "all the good ones are darling Mary, all the good ones are."


	8. Chapter 8

_Just a quick 'thank you' to all those who continue to read and review. As I've said a few times already, knowing that you're enjoying it and are wanting more, inspires me to write faster._

_To the 'guest' who critiqued my grammar, I did not take offence at all. In fact I was more embarrassed and shocked at myself that I managed to let 'draw' slip in there. I know myself that it is difficult to read something that is not presented correctly and for that I apologise. But yes, without a beta reader I tend to read over it myself... But knowing what's there on the page, I don't tend to 'read' every word so unfortunately these things may happen every now and then. I hope there weren't too many mistakes and I will try my best to pick out mistakes before posting._

_Ok, so with that out the way... Who wants more?_

...-...

At home, Mary relaxed with a glass of red wine in front of a movie she'd seen at least three times before. After a long day at the office, she was glad to change into her most comfortable pyjamas. Mary curled her legs up on the sofa and pushed her bare feet under a cushion, taking small regular sips of wine. She didn't make a habit of drinking alone after work and she certainly wouldn't have any more than the small glass she'd poured for herself, but every now and then she liked to indulge herself; particularly on evenings like this one, where she'd managed to leave work much earlier than predicted.

The mobile phone resting on the arm of the sofa beside her began to buzz, quickly followed by a ring. Mary lowered her eyes to the display; she'd already ignored one call from Edith this evening. The number wasn't blocked, neither was it appointed to a contact saved in her phone. Mary quickly placed her glass on the small table beside her, picking up her phone with one hand and sliding her thumb across the screen to answer the call while pausing the film with the other.

"Hello?"

"Mary?" She smiled, the male voice on the other end familiarly nervous.

"Yes"

"Hi, it's Matthew... Matthew Crawley. I'm ever so sorry to call you out if work hours, " Mary frowned into the phone, "but you did say you wanted things dealt with as quickly as possible and I've-"

"It is awfully late for you to still be working" Mary pointed out, attempting to turn the conversation into something a little less formal than this seemed.

"Not really working as such. I'm home and just received an email from the girl's representation. They'd like to set up a meeting."

"I see."

"If this is a bad time... If its too late in the evening, I can call back tomorrow."

"It's not _that_ late Matthew."

"No, I suppose not. I was going to call your office in the morning, but knowing how important it is for you to settle this quickly and well, I wanted to speak with you regarding a more personal matter also."

"Oh?" Mary's eyebrow curved in amusement. She didn't mean to tease him with her vague responses, but at the same time his ramblings were almost 'cute', she decided.

"I was wondering if you were free on Wednesday?"

"Wednesday..." Mary pursed her lips, her mind racing through her memory of Wednesday's schedule.

"We were hoping for an 11am meeting at my office if that suits you" Mary frowned a little, unable to keep up with the switches between business and 'personal matters', as he'd called it. She quickly reached for her handbag, pulling out her diary and scanning the appropriate page.

"That looks fine Matthew, I'm writing that in my diary now" she expertly trapped her phone between her shoulder and ear while she swiftly pulled a pen from the side of the diary and jotted the meeting down.

Placing the pen back in its rightful place, Mary heard him clear his throat a little. "And I was wondering Mary, if you'd like to go somewhere for lunch afterwards?" His question came suddenly and Mary was left speechless for a moment, thinking that the conversation was most likely and disappointingly over now that a meeting had been set. She glanced back down at the diary resting on her knee and inwardly sighed.

"Ah... "

"No?" She heard him ask, "that's fine Mary, I just thought that-"

"No, I mean... I have another meeting scheduled at 1."

"Another time then maybe?"

"Lunch with Matthew after meeting" she spoke slowly, her words slightly broken by pauses. "Writing it in my diary now. I'll push my 1 o'clock a little later into the afternoon." After all, it was only a meeting with the design team and they'd appreciate a longer lunch just as much as she would.

"Really Mary, there is no need. We can-"

"Its done Matthew." Her voice sounded softly assertive if there was ever such a thing.

He smiled into the phone "ok then. Anywhere you'd like to go? Anywhere you certainly _wouldn't_ like to go?"

"Somewhere quiet would be nice."

...-...

On Wednesday morning, while getting ready for work, Mary gave particular thought to her attire. Of course, she still needed to dress for business, but she wanted something flattering... Something to maybe get Matthews attention. She mentally kicked herself at just how excited she was about the impending lunch. Noticing that the weather seemed perfectly bright and pleasant from her window, Mary selected a loose fitting coral coloured dress. She teamed this with a black fitted blazer and a pair of black kitten heels. She twisted her blow-dried volumized hair into a loose bun and secured it with a few pins, and applied just a touch more mascara to her lashes than she usually would for a day at work.

The conference room in Matthew's building was far smaller than she was used to. It was decorated and furnished simply; Mary wondered if this was due to his taste or merely because everything was still so new there. The meeting was agonisingly slow and sat directly next to Matthew, opposite the young girl, who she now knew as Hannah Marshall, and her lawyer, Mary felt unnaturally awkward. She found herself glancing to her left to look at him at times where she maybe should have been paying attention to other things; she liked to see him take charge of the situation; he really was very good at this. She didn't say much and would rather listen as his vast knowledge and experience shone evidently through his confident vocabulary.

Hannah was adamant that these designs were stolen; 'copied' was the word she used. She'd brought along her many sketches of the designs that did look almost identical to some of the dresses they'd showcased at London fashion week; Mary pursed her lips as she studied them. She was certain that this could not have happened; she had a fantastic design team, hand picked and headhunted with great care and efficiency. Most of them had been with her for many years. A settlement was offered in order to put a stop to the claims, but Hannah declined. Mary had sighed in frustration; she didn't want this to become public. Instead, she asked for a little time to investigate the claims herself. Hannah eventually agreed and provided copies of her designs for Mary to reference; a meeting was set in two weeks time and Matthew stood to show them out.

Mary, now alone in the small and bland conference room, shifted in the chair. Lunch... With Matthew, her stomach dipped a little and she rolled her eyes at her body's reaction to the thought. Matthew re-entered and she sat up even straighter, smiling up at him nervously.

"Are you ready for lunch?" He asked politely. Mary stood, giving him a small nod. "I'll fetch your things." She followed him out of the conference room and smiled as he held out her blazer for her to slip into. She laced her arm through the handles of her oversized bag and didn't even bother fishing around in it for her phone that she'd usually check for messages as soon as she exited a meeting. "Somewhere quiet you said?" He asked for confirmation and she nodded.

"Yes, preferably somewhere I'm less likely to be hounded by photographers." She half joked, but Matthew suddenly understood what she meant by quiet and quickly rethought his plans.

"Do they really just wait outside restaurants for opportunities to photograph somebody recognisable?" He asked her, remembering seeing members of the paparazzi outside a few popular restaurants in central London during his meetings with clients.

"Unfortunately, yes, some of them do. Sometimes they turn up unexpectedly; tipped off by someone, usually when I'm shopping."

"I didn't realise, I've never even seen pictures... " he laughed a little, knowing how pathetic he may seem, "I don't really keep up with popular culture as such; gossip pages aren't really my thing."

Mary smiled sweetly in response, "I think that just might be one of the best things about you."

Matthew rewarded her with a smile of his own, offering her his arm, "shall we, Lady Mary? I think I know just the place." Mary smirked a little at his playful use of her title, accepting his offer, she laced her free arm through his. The fact that he held the door open for her did not go unnoticed. "Shall we take my car?" He checked, not wanting to be presumptuous.

Mary nodded in agreement "I didn't drive myself, in fact my driver will probably still be waiting for me. If you don't mind taking me back to my office afterwards, I'll text to give him the afternoon off."

"I don't mind at all."

Matthew, of course, opened the passenger door for Mary and walked round to the driver's side as she quickly typed a message to her driver. She asked where they were going and Matthew told her that he knew if a small cafe not far away; to Mary, the idea was perfect.

As soon as they arrived, Mary was pleased to see that this really was a 'small' cafe. They probably wouldn't be able to order much more than a sandwich or baked potato with salad, but she noticed how only half of the 10 tables were occupied, mostly by pensioners or school children on their lunch break. The prospect of lunching with Matthew in peace gave her an odd thrill of excitement.

Scanning over the menu, her suspicions were true, but she didn't mind at all. Matthew asked what she'd like to eat and promptly left the table to order them each a baked potato; hers with tuna, his with beans and cheese. He returned with two mugs of coffee and placed one in front of her. "They said the food shouldn't be too long."

Mary took an appreciative sip of her coffee and was surprised to find that it wasn't too bad. "So Matthew..." Her voice was like velvet to his ears; the more she said his name, the more he liked hearing it, "do you come hear often?" She grinned at her question.

"I don't actually. I pass here on the way to work. Sometimes I pop in a grab a coffee to go."

"I don't think I've had chance to apologise for allowing myself to be dragged away the other night. I would hate to think you didn't believe I was enjoying your company."

"Not at all. In fact, I was quite annoyed at my friend, Alex. She was my 'date'," Mary smirked at the way he said the word date and gestured with his fingers to confirm the word wasn't an appropriate one. "I left her talking with some of my university friends and when I returned to the table after our dance she was _on_ _top_ of it." Mary sniggered a little at the distaste and embarrassment in his tone. "Well that was soon followed by passing out and vomiting, so of course I had to take her home."

"Of course, the gentleman you are."

"I was looking forward to catching up with you later in the night and watching the fireworks; I heard they were marvellous."

"Hmm, they were quite beautiful. A large display of course."

"We'll, I'm sorry I missed them. I'm even more sorry that I didn't get to spend more time with you." If Mary was ever unsure of his intentions, she was positive now; she smiled at the thought of her being on a lunch _date_ with a charming man in a small cafe in west London.

Time passed quickly, their food arrived and they continued to talk with ease. Mary asked Matthew about his family and where he grew up and she couldn't help but smile as he told her about his mother and his childhood. Surrey, he was born and spent the first 8 years of his life. They'd then moved to Manchester, where his mother still lived and whom he visited as much as possible. She confirmed that she had two sisters and expressed how dear her youngest sister was to her. Matthew heard anguish in her voice as she spoke of Edith and how she wished their relationship could be different; he decided not to ask anything further on the matter.

He told her tales of starting his own law firm and interviewing for associates and a secretary. She laughed and giggled at some of the things he said and on more than one occasion, her fingers brushed against his arm naturally.

Their plates were taken away and Matthew asked if she'd like another cup of coffee. Without checking the time, Mary agreed and at his broad smile, she realised that she, too, had a wide smile fixed upon her lips. Feeling silly that she couldn't shake the smile even as he left the table, she scanned the cafe with her eyes. She noticed that many of the customers that were there when they arrived were also still seated, including a small group of giggling school girls who should have surely been making their way back to school by now. Matthew returned and she smiled up at him, only looking away when she heard a familiar sound. Mary glanced towards the table of school girls and Matthew heard her groan; her head instantly lowering.

"Mary?" His tone was laced with concern.

"Behind you" she muttered. Matthew looked over his shoulder and frowned at one of the girls who had the phone pointed towards them. It quickly flashed and he rose from his seat. "Matthew, just leave it" he heard Mary protest, but still walked the few steps needed to the table where the young teenagers were sat.

"Excuse me, but do you not think it rather rude to sit and take pictures of someone you do not know?" He stood over them.

Two of the girls lowered their heads, each stifling giggles. The other shrugged "she's famous. She's always in magazines and stuff."

"That still does not mean she wants to me photographed while having lunch... Please" he sighed, "just no more ok?"

The girl nodded, "I only want to show my sister, she won't believe me otherwise."

Mary held her head in her hand, shielding her face and her embarrassment from any onlookers. As Matthew returned, she still didn't look up. "Just innocent girls wanting to show off to their friends" he assured her as the girls passed their table on their way out.

"I could have told you that much," she told him, "you didn't have to go over there Matthew."

"I'm sorry Mary, I just- I thought that you were uncomfortable with it and we were having such a nice time, I didn't want-" he stopped when he felt Mary's hand brush across his, settling on top of it. He looked down her their hands briefly and then back at her face.

"We are having a nice time Matthew. Things like that do make me uncomfortable, but if we are going to do this; if you want to see me again like this, it's something you're going to have to learn to tolerate I'm afraid. I do, however, appreciate the thought." She ended with a smile.


	9. Chapter 9

_I'm not sure how I feel about this next part. It's kind of a filler I guess, but I'd like to thank you guys for your responses which have been amazing so far._

_hopefully I'll have some more over the weekend to post_

...-...-...

"Alright, okay; I'm coming" Matthew called out as he stepped out of his bathroom, securing the towel around his waist as he paced the towards the door. He pushed his wet hair away from his face with one hand while he pulled the door open with the other.

"Happy birthday bud" he was greeted with one of his oldest friends, holding a Chinese menu and a twelve pack of beer.

Matthew stepped aside for him to enter, closing the door behind him "you know, I'm pretty sure it's only girls who are supposed to get ready together Dan."

"Thought we could get a head start, make a whole day of it like we did at uni." Dan put the beers on the counter top in the kitchen while Matthew disappeared in his bedroom. He returned a couple of minutes later, dressed in a t shirt and tracksuit bottoms.

"We're a lot older than we were at university Dan'" he reminded his friend, who already wore a pair of dark coloured jeans and a black shirt ready for a night at the pub.

Dan shrugged, presenting Matthew with the Chinese menu, "it's a special birthday."

"You said that last year" Matthew took the menu and began to scan his options.

"Last year- 28, last age with 2 even numbers in before you hit 42- thats special! This year- 29, last year before 30. Last year to be stupid and reckless."

"I was never stupid and reckless."

"Shall I remind you of the time-"

"Please don't." Matthew placed the menu on the coffee table and sat on the other end of the sofa. "How many of the others have you invited round here?"

"Pretty much everyone who's coming tonight. Craigy will meet us there, he's bringing Emma, Greg and Tim will be here in time for the food, Michelle, Paul and William are meeting us at the pub too and Alex was going to, but she's coming here because Greg is."

Matthew shook his head, chuckling at Alex's sudden pursuit of Greg. "And I thought I'd get a nice quite afternoon off work."

"Don't be so old and boring. You need a few beers in you; tonight, we're on the pull."

Matthew shook his head, "I can be your wingman but I'm not- I'm kind of seeing someone... Well, I wouldn't even call it that yet, but we've been out for lunch a couple of times." It was Friday afternoon and after their successful lunch date on Wednesday, Matthew had called Mary Thursday morning and asked if she'd like to meet up again; she traveled to his office and he drove them to the same cafe where they ate, talked and enjoyed each other's company. When he drove her back to work, she quickly assured him he needn't get out simply to open the door for her and quickly leant over to kiss his cheek. Her lips were a sweet and gentle surprise on his skin and Matthew was sure he looked an absolute fool when she looked over her shoulder to wave him goodbye and he simply sat there, grinning at her.

"Matthew Crawley!" Dan exclaimed, "you dark horse. Who is she, do I know her... Oh hold on, it's never that fit bird that works for you- she is way out of your league mate, no offence."

Matthew laughed a short laugh, "none taken. No, you don't know her. We met very recently actually; her name is Mary."

"Is she coming tonight?" Dan asked as he stood, pacing to the small the kitchen area and grabbing two beers, handing one to Matthew before sitting back down.

"No, I actually haven't asked her." Matthew opened his can and started to drink from it.

"Why not?"

Matthew had briefly considered asking Mary to join them this evening, but thought against it; he didn't want her to feel obliged to spend time with his friends when they were still only getting to know each other, plus birthdays and dating always seemed so awkward; the pressure to get a gift for someone to make it special for them... They'd had lunch only twice and Matthew felt it was much too early to be putting her in such a position. "A few reasons; one being how 'new' it is and... Well, she's William's cousin. It's awkward."

Dan raised his eyebrows "wow. Okay... So awkward because she's William's cousin and woah, thats weird coz you want to screw her, or" Matthew winced at Dan's vulgar phrasing, "awkward coz she's William's cousin and that makes her..." Dan paused for a moment, remembering the name Mary, his eyes widened briefly and then he exhaled lightly "Lady Mary?"

"Have I been living under a rock?" Matthew was surprised how quickly Dan made the connection. "I'd never heard of her, didn't recognise her at all."

"We'll, she...never mind. Did you meet at the wedding last weekend? Man, I knew I should have gone; lost my chance with that one." He joked lightly. "You should ask her to come out, it's not like she won't know anybody; William will be there." Matthew sighed. "Go on, you know you want to. You might even get lucky."

"Dan" Matthew warned.

"Okay. If you invite her, I'll be on my best behaviour, I promise."

...-...-...

Mary placed her phone slowly on her desk, she inhaled deeply, her small smile slowly falling out if place. For a second, she thought about calling him back, saying she'd decided against it, but she'd agreed to go now and she wouldn't take it back.

She'd been glad to hear from him; she'd left lunch as late as she could, hoping he might call as he had the previous day but when 2pm came and he hadn't called, she'd sighed and asked Anna to get her a sandwich. She'd wondered if she'd done something wrong the day before, if he'd freaked when she'd kissed his cheek or if he was simply busy. It was his birthday and he had the day off work; that's why he hadn't asked her to lunch... It was his birthday; oh god, what was she going to get him? She barely knew him.

Mary glanced at the clock and quickly stood from her seat in a panic; pacing towards the mirror, taking in her appearance, she pulled her hair free and frowned. 'Just a casual place' was what he'd told her, William would be there. These two sentences eased many if her concerns immediately; William was an old pro at going out and hardly being bothered by photographers. Mary quickly moved back to her desk and pressed a button to call for Anna.

Seconds later, Anna entered, asking what she needed. "I need to get to a hairdressers" she told her, "I don't care where it is or who does it, as long as its local and they can do it now." Casual or not, she wasn't going to turn up looking less than half way decent and she desperately needed a trim and blow dry.

...-...-...-...

Alex banged on Matthews door loudly, wavering slightly in heels that were higher than she was used to. She greeted Matthew with a friendly kiss on the check. "Woah, it smells like a brewery in here, how many have you guys had?" She asked, following Matthew through to the living room, smiling over at Dan, Greg and Tim.

Dan waved her off, "only a couple and birthday boy over here is being extremely good now that his new _Lady_ is coming tonight." Alex raised her eyebrow at Matthew, questioning him.

"I've told you, she's not _my_ lady, I've only seen her a couple of times."

"And what lady are we speaking of?" Alex asked, squeezing herself on the sofa next to Greg, who couldn't help but look at her legs which weren't often on show. "Oh no, wait... Please tell me it's not-"

Matthew nodded "Mary."

"Pretty sure I warned you about that slut."

"Be nice Alex." Matthew warned, knowing the word 'slut' coming from Alex's mouth wasn't as offensive as it would seem from someone who didn't know her, yet her predictable response made him worry about what she'd say once she'd started drinking.

"I don't know what the problem is," Tim chimed in from across the room, "I think she's hot."

"Too right" Greg agreed and Alex visibly frowned, pulling at her too short skirt from her sitting position. "I've seen her sex tape." Dan promptly kicked Greg in the shin, shaking his head in warning.

"Who hasn't?" Tim joked.

"Matthew apparently" Alex told them.

"We'll soon sort that" Tim said, reaching for Matthew's laptop which was playing music in the background and opening up a webpage. Greg and Alex quickly got up from the sofa to crowd around the laptop.

"You'll be lucky to find it, they put a huge ban in it and-" Alex stopped talking when Tim found it immediately.

"Never underestimate red tube Alex."

"Guys, no" Matthew finally spoke, his mouth catching up with his brain. He should have trusted his first instinct and not invited Mary tonight; there was no way he'd be able to control what his friends said and he didn't want to spoil things with her before they had chance to begin. "I don't want to see it and I don't want you watching it either." He stepped forward and lightly shoved Greg aside.

Tim closed the laptop quickly "chill out man, it's just a bit of fun". But Tim quickly noticed Matthew's seriously panicked expression and stepped forward to clap him on the back. "Okay, relax. No red tube, no sex tapes... No talk of sex tapes. We'll all be on our best behaviours won't we?" He turned to the others who nodded in unison, but Matthew's heart continued to race with worry.

"Okay, I've just got a text" Dan announced, standing from the sofa. "William, Craigy and Emma are at the pub, we should call a couple of taxis." Matthew's relieved sigh was audible... William; there's no way any of his friends would speak in vulgar terms about, or in front of, Mary with William there. They had an unspoken rule about these kinds of things- they didn't speak ill of each other's families or partners. He wasn't confident enough to speak of Mary in any kind of way that would insinuate they were in a relationship, but she was William's cousin and his friends would certainly be nice to her for that reason alone.

-...-...-...

_no M/M, I know, but the next part should much better._


	10. Chapter 10

_I'm sorry to keep you guys waiting for this, I've had a crazy crazy week. Your comments throughout the week have made me smile, especially the impatient sounding ones towards the end of the week.  
I'm not sure i like Alex myself, she's one of those annoying girls who makes judgements easily- I don't think she'll be causing any trouble though. And yes, boys will be boys- they can be rude and immature, especially when they're together lol._

_Thank you for your reviews, please keep them coming. I will try to be quicker with the next part. _

-...-...-

Matthew checked his phone for any messages or missed calls; still nothing. Mary had sent a quick text to explain that she was running late almost an hour ago; something about a hairdressers appointment. He'd replied, telling her there was no rush, after all he invited her last minute and he knew how long it could take women to get ready. Due to his nerves, Matthew had barely eaten the Chinese they ordered earlier and now on his fourth drink (not counting the cans they'd had at his apartment), he was starting to feel the effects of alcohol. He decided to slow down with this one and politely declined being party to a round of shots when Dan went to the bar.

They were sat in a roomy corner of the pub, taking up a large curved sofa, a few chairs and a couple of small circular tables. On arrival he'd quickly warned William of Mary's expected arrival and informed him that they'd been in contact since the wedding. William smiled, clapped him in the back and wished him luck. Matthew had already heard Alex question why this was the first time she'd been invited to one of his Birthday celebrations to which Greg had explained it had always been 'boy's night' until Craigy decided this year he was bringing his new girlfriend, Emma. She then went on to down several sambuca shots and assure William that she would refrain from writing any stories about him; William laughed it off, but wearily looked towards Matthew, who had already warned him of his loud, annoying, yet harmless journalist friend.

"Drink up Matty" Matthew heard Tim call from the other side of the small table, he'd always hated it when they called him 'Matty'. "We're trying to celebrate your birthday over here!" Matthew raised his bottled beer and gestured towards Tim before bringing it to his lips.

...-...

Mary nervously fidgeted in the back seat of the car, she pulled at the hem of her dress and bit down on her lip. Arriving home from the hairdressers, she'd considered cancelling once more. She studied the contents of her dressing room, trying to decide what to wear and actually sought out her phone to cancel. Eventually, Mary had taken a few deep breaths and decided to forget about how many of Matthew's friends would be there and just get ready for an evening with him. She'd picked out a form fitting dress the colour of red wine; the bottom of it rested just above her knee and its sweetheart neckline flattered her perfectly. "It's just here on your right Lady Mary" her drivers words set another wave of panic through her system; she quickly surveyed the area with her eyes- a quiet street, no queue to get in and certainly nobody there to stick a camera up her dress as she got out of the car. The car came to a stop and Mary took a deep breath, thanking her driver and declining when he asked if she'd like him to stay in call for the night; she'd be fine in a taxi.

Mary stepped out of the car on her nude coloured stilettos and walked briskly to the entrance; the evening air was cool and she wasn't wearing a jacket. She remembered that Matthew told her they were in the far corner by the bar. He said to text when she arrived and he'd meet her outside, but the cool air won and Mary walked inside. The smell of spirits and beer hit her straight away and Mary quickly looked for Matthew. The bar was curved she noticed and decided they must be round the corner.

Matthew spotted her right away; how could he not? She was positively stunning; her dress fit perfectly and her loose curls fell softly below her shoulders. He stood slowly as Mary rounded the bar without noticing him and he took a few steps towards her.

Mary smiled brightly at the handsome blonde walking towards her. He returned her smile and came to a stop, allowing her to walk to him until she was in reaching distance and he stepped forward to kiss her cheek, his hands coming to rest on the sides of her waist. It wasn't until Mary's palms connected with his elbows as she accepted the greeting that he realised what he was doing. He stepped back a little, releasing her and smiled shyly "good evening Lady Mary." Mary could feel herself blush slightly and she smiled a girlish smile, something about the way he said her name; the way he used her title made her stomach flutter, it sounded almost like a term of endearment.

"Happy Birthday Matthew." Mary allowed her eyes to travel over his form quickly; she'd only ever seen him in a formal suit. He wore stone coloured trousers that fit him perfectly with a short sleeved casual navy blue shirt tucked inside. The way the material clung to his body and the way the short sleeves were turned up in just the right place to accentuate his muscular arms was an immensely pleasing sight.

Matthew gestured towards the bar "can I get you a drink?"

Mary turned and together they walked the short distance "really I should be buying you a drink; after all it is your Birthday."

"Nonsense" Matthew dismissed the idea. "What would you like? Apparently they make good cocktails." Mary picked up the cocktail menu. "See anything you fancy?" He asked, leaning a little over her shoulder. Mary's stomach dipped a little, feeling his breath on her neck, but quickly regained composure and chose her drink.

"You'll have to forgive me for being late and coming without a gift" she turned to Matthew, her voice smooth and flirtatious as they waited for her drink. "I admit, I was rather nervous to be coming tonight and I was informed at very short notice" she rose one eyebrow slightly.

"There is no need to apologise and you certainly don't need to get me anything." He assured her with a slow smile as the pair stood close at the bar.

"Maybe a kiss would make up for my late arrival and serve as an adequate Birthday gift at the same time?" Her voice was playful and it took Matthew a few seconds to respond.

"I.. Eh... Yes, I feel that would be more than adequate indeed."

Mary nodded with a smirk, "I'll keep that in mind."

...-...-...

After introductions were made, Mary sat close to Matthew on the sofa and wondered why she'd been so nervous in the first place; his friends seemed perfectly nice and friendly. When one of his friends announced he was going to buy another round of sambuca, Mary suggested tequila instead and easily convinced Matthew with a small smile to join in. The tray was returned with far too many for there only to be one each. Mary was informed she had some catching up to do and ended up having three of them in between sips of her fruity cocktail. Matthew winced for her when she swallowed the third and waved off the suggestion of a fourth with her hand. Matthew left her side to play a game of darts with Alex, Greg and Dan and during this time, she caught up with William; he informed her that he was unable to stay the whole night and that Kate had decided to stay in and spend some time with her sister instead of joining them. Mary passed on her best and congratulated him again on his marriage before Michelle, a slim woman with a red pixie cut came to sit by her, complimenting her on her dress.

"Thank you." Mary replied "I had no idea what to wear, Matthew said it was just a casual place."

"You chose well. Here, you have to try this, it's amazing" Michelle pushed her drink into Mary's hand and Mary took a small drink through the straw.

"That's lovely." Mary agreed.

"Can I try yours?" She checked.

"Uh, sure" Mary handed Michelle her drink and Michelle moaned her appreciation.

"They make the best cocktails here. So, you met Matthew quite recently?"

Mary nodded "I did. At William's wedding." She looked to William over her shoulder only to see that he'd too left the sofa and made his way to watch the game of darts. "He actually introduced us."

"I think Matthew might be smitten with you already" Michelle confessed to which Mary laughed. "No, I'm serious!" Mary smiled, looking over towards the game as Matthew took his turn. "I hope you don't mind me asking this, but... You, you're... I've read some things about you and ex boyfriends and stuff, I just don't want-"

Mary quickly cut in, "I can assure you most of the things you read about me are untrue. I have been completely single for... Well, a long time." She glanced at Matthew quickly again before turning back to Michelle, "you're looking out for him, I know. I'm glad he has friends that do."

Matthew took the darts from the board and smiled at his win. Alex demanded a rematch, which Emma wanted in on and quickly they were forming teams. Matthew's eyes sought out Mary and they connected with hers. "I'm going to sit this one out." He told his friends, beginning to walk back towards where Mary was seated.

"But the teams will be uneven!"

"I'll send Michelle over." Matthew spoke over his shoulder, his smile directed at Mary as he neared. "Hey".

"Hey yourself." Mary grinned, leaving Michelle to look from one to the other, suddenly feeling like a third wheel. "Who won?"

"Me and Dan. Alex is organising another game, I've been told to send you to be in a team Michelle." Michelle picked up her drink and quickly joined the others, leaving Matthew to sit alone with Mary. He naturally placed his arm on the back of the sofa.

"Congratulations. It seems as though the kiss I mentioned earlier might have to be a congratulatory one also." Mary's eyes shone and her tone was teasing, reminding Matthew of her earlier suggestion. He found himself looking down at her lips for a moment, feeling braver than before; he could thank the alcohol for that. Neither of them realised how close they were to each other until Mary shuffled toward him even more and her hand grazed his thigh.

Matthew could feel her gentle breath on his lips and his question came out in a low murmur, "so, would now be a good time to..." He raised his eyebrow, "collect my apology, congratulations and birthday gift?"

Mary's lips curved at his question, only a short distance away from him. "Now would be the perfect time." Mary had barely finished her reply before feeling Matthew's gentle hand on her neck. She closed her eyes blissfully, the contact of his fingers on her skin and under her hair sent tingles down her spine. It was then that she felt it; soft lips touch hers and she responded immediately.

Mary's hand quickly found a comfortable place to rest at the curve of his neck. His lips caressed hers sweetly and she opened her mouth in invitation. Their kiss deepened and Matthew soon felt her fingers in his hair, her legs draped over his in attempt to be even closer to him.


	11. Chapter 11

_Hi guys, here's a nice treat for you- a part twice as long as the others!_

_Thank you again for all your kind reviews, they really do keep this story alive. LOL jmu- I didn't even make the Dan/Michelle connection, they were just names I typed as I thought of them._

_Obviously you were all very excited about their very public kiss, I don't think this next part will disappoint. And don't worry, Alex is on her best behaviour. She's far too busy chasing Greg around to care anyway._

-...-...-

With no distractions thus far and having both consumed considerable amounts of alcohol, Matthew and Mary's embrace continued for much longer than many might have deemed appropriate for a public place. At some point, their lips separated in order for the pair to catch their breath; Mary pushed Matthew's hair from his forehead with one hand, while Matthew's moved slowly from her neck, across her shoulder and down her arm, eventually clasping her hand in his. Mary smiled at the gesture, bending her legs, which were still draped across his, at the knees, causing then to become even more entwined; so much so that if Mary were to move even a fraction closer, she'd be fully sat in his lap. Their lips met again; this time with confidence, yet the pace was slow and tender, each tasting and committing the other to memory. Mary knew something about this, about _him_ was different, she knew somehow that she'd want to remember this moment with every sense possible.

Eventually they reluctantly broke apart to the sound of whistles and cat-calls. Mary pulled away from his lips, feeling herself blush furiously with embarrassment. Not ready expose herself to those who'd caught them yet, her free hand came to rest on Matthew's shoulder while she lowered her forehead to the base of his neck to hide her embarrassment. Matthew chuckled slightly, squeezing her hand a little tighter, he lowered his lips to the top of her head, dropping a gentle kiss into her fragrant hair. He sighed and turned to face his friends fully, his new position forcing Mary to slide her legs from on top of his and face their audience.

Dan was the first to sit down on a chair opposite the couple, "I didn't know you had it in ya Matty-boy" he teased, slurping on his pint of beer.

"Auditioning for the sequel were we?" Greg joked, taking a seat next to Dan as the rest of the group approached, having brought drinks from the bar after their darts game. Matthew narrowed his eyes at his friend; surely he can't be hinting at _that_. But when Greg winked at Mary cheekily, Matthew's suspicions were confirmed. He reached for Mary's hand quickly and laced his fingers through hers. He almost sighed a sigh of relief when he heard her voice confidently change the subject.

"So who won?" She asked with a smile, tightening her fingers around Matthew's a little.

Dan shrugged "we lost track, couldn't remember whose turn it was and gave up."

"No," Alex argued playfully, "we were totally about to beat you guys."

"Yeah, if you say so."

Mary giggled at their exchange, looking beside her briefly at Matthew who too had a small smile on his face.

"So who's up for a walk over to Rags?" Tim asked, speaking of a small nightclub round the corner from where they were.

"What's Rags?" Mary asked.

"Just a small club down the road; more like a larger pub with a dance floor really." She was told. Mary turned to look at Matthew and he gave her a small nod to confirm. William declined the invite; he would be heading home soon anyway and didn't see the point of moving on, so the group decided to stay for a little while longer in the pub and then walk over to Rags, making sure William got a taxi on the way.

'A little while longer' turned into almost an hour, with loud chatter filling the corner of the pub they occupied. Matthew noticed how relaxed Mary had become in not only his company but also his friends'. He was happy to see Alex include Mary when collecting a round of what she called 'skittle bombs' for the girls and laughed loudly as they raced to see who could drink them the fastest. The group were interrupted on two occasions by punters offering their congratulations to William and shaking his hand. A woman offered to buy him a drink, but he politely declined; instead he bought one last round of drinks, which the group enjoyed over more chatter before standing to leave.

Greg, Alex and Tim went on ahead to Rags, while Craigy and Emma decided they were going to call it a night too. "I just had a thought." Mary told Matthew as he placed his leather jacket over her shoulders in preparation for the cool night air.

"Oh?"

Mary smirked teasingly "we'll be able to dance a little closer tonight."

Matthew laughed, remembering how awkward he must have looked just last weekend, holding Mary as far away as possible. "I imagine we'll be able to dance _much_ closer" he grinned, placing his palm on the small of her back to guide her through the pub in order to catch up with Dan, William, Paul and Michelle who were nearing the exit.

Suddenly, Matthew felt blinded; a flash of light right in front of his eyes. "William, William, where's Kate?" He heard a deep voice ask forcefully. It took him only a second to realise what was happening, yet he didn't know how he was supposed to react. Another flash and Matthew's arm was now fully around Mary's waist. "Mary... Lady Mary" he heard the man call. Matthew blinked hard and saw that the man was now directly in front of them, walking backwards and William was at Mary's other side; he said something to her and she nodded before he picked up his pace and got into one if the five taxis waiting at the side of the road. Another flash. "Mary, who's the guy?" Matthew held his hand out in front of them as if to shield another flash. "What's your name?" Matthew realised he was now being questioned.

"Please, just leave her alone." He demanded, tightening his arm around Mary's waist as they walked and tried to dodge the camera flash.

"Just keep your head down" Mary muttered to him as Dan rushed back towards them, now walking the other side of Mary.

"Did you meet her tonight or is it a date?" The question infuriated Matthew and he shielded his eyes from another flash.

"What do we do?" Dan asked quickly, shielding his own eyes.

"Just walk quickly and keep your head down." Mary's voice was sharp and low. "Matthew, please, just stop- don't react. How far is this place?"

"It's just round the corner" Dan answered.

"Mary, Mary? Where are you headed?" The photographer was now right in front of Mary and Matthew instinctively stepped towards her, holding his palm in front of the camera. Dan frowned, he'd never seen a situation like it; stepping closer to Mary himself, the two men formed a barrier for her and quickly made their way to Rags.

On arrival, Dan stood back while Matthew escorted Mary inside. He turned to the photographer in disgust, who was immediately looking down at his display, checking his images. "You make me sick" Dan said with a shake of his head before following them in.

Once inside, Matthew asked Mary is she was ok. "I'm fine" she told him quickly. He touched her arm lightly and she smiled at him tightly.

"How did he know you were here?" Dan asked, breathless as he joined them inside.

Mary shrugged "tip off probably."

Dan nodded "I think he was here for William, it was almost like he was surprised to see you, like an afterthought."

Mary nodded, turning to Matthew "I'm sorry you got dragged into that, no doubt the morning papers will be questioning who you are."

Matthew shook his head; his way of dismissing her apology, it wasn't needed. "Will he be outside when we leave?"

Mary sighed "probably. Lets just enjoy the rest of the night. After all it is your birthday" she forced a smile and took hold of his hand, pulling him towards the small counter were an entrance fee was being charged.

...-...-

Matthew had wondered how the run in with the paparazzi would affect Mary's mood for the rest of the night, but he needn't had worried. Of course, as distressed as she'd seemed at the time, she was used to the invasion of privacy and within ten minutes and after collecting a double vodka and orange for her and a beer each for him and Dan, Mary really was fine and dragging them both onto the dance floor where they met with the others.

Matthew had always preferred to stay off the dance floor and Rags wasn't particularly his favourite place to socialise, but it was conveniently placed and after a few drinks always seemed like the best solution. Luckily, the beer he'd ordered from the bar was in a bottle as the dance floor was heaving; he'd had to catch one young girl who almost fell into him, tumbling in her heels. She'd thanked him, red with embarrassment and as she walked away he found Mary close to him; her palms on the sides of his waist, her breath warm against his ear "I should have tried that trick." She teased him gently, still unconsciously swaying her hips to the beat of the music, "would you catch me if I fell Matthew?"

Matthew laughed aloud, taking hold of one of her hands and twirling her around before his free hand came to rest in her hip as she proceeded to dance. Matthew moved a little, like many of the men on the floor, but simply enjoyed being close to her. Mary looked up at him in the middle of singing along to one of her favourite songs, he smiled down at her, his hand tightening on her hip as she reached for the bottle of beer in his hand, bringing it slowly to her lips. Matthew watched in amazement as her lips closed around the top of the bottle, her eyes connected with his the entire time. "Thank you" she handed it back to him, "it's so terribly hot in here."

"Would you like me to go and get you a drink?" He asked politely, holding her close to him so she was able to hear over the music.

Mary simply shook her head, placing a small kiss on his jaw to show her appreciation; her move bold and uncharacteristically forward even considering the alcohol she'd consumed.

As the night continued, Matthew pretended not to notice when Alex dragged a willing Greg into a corner on the dance floor, her mouth firmly attached to his. Ten minutes later neither were to be seen and it wasn't until Matthew noticed a message on his phone from Greg, saying he'd 'taken Alex home' that his suspicions had been confirmed. Paul and Michelle had left a while ago which only left Matthew, Mary and Dan; the latter now charming a group of university students in the smoking area outside. It turned out that Matthew _had_ indeed needed to buy another drink since Mary had drained the rest of his beer; he asked what she'd like and she suggested he just get another bottle that they could share, her excuse being that she hated holding drinks when dancing.

Moving around the crowds of people as they descended the bar area, Mary was suddenly faced with an excitable young girl which caused both she and Matthew (who guided her with his palm on the small of her back) to stop in their tracks. "Ohmigod" the young girl with jet black hair squealed, grasping Mary's arm to get her attention. Mary widened her eyes slightly. "I _love_ your new line!" Mary smiled at her enthusiasm; it was nice being recognised for the things she was proud of and not just because of her 'celebrity' or family name.

"Thank you" Mary replied, quickly looking over her shoulder at Matthew.

"I love fashion" the girl chatted. "SO much. I'm in college studying fashion design and I basically just want to be you. Well you or Versace but she's orange and wrinkled and..." Mary laughed loudly and the girl began to laugh too.

"Sarah!" Another girl shouted over the music, now beside the other girl. "Come on!"

Sarah turned to her friend, "it's Lady Mary Crawley!" The other girl glanced at Mary quickly and realised Sarah wasn't delusional.

"She loves you" her friend told Mary. "Omigod, you guys should have a picture" she waved her camera in her hand, pushing Sarah towards Mary.

"Do you mind?" Sarah asked.

Mary shook her head "I'd be delighted." Matthew took a step back and to the side, watching as the star-struck teenager smiled from ear to ear, almost bouncing with excitement. Mary put her arm around the girl's shoulder, her face pressed to the side of Sarah's and each of them smiled widely. To anyone looking at the photo, they would probably assume they were the best of friends. Matthew found himself smiling proudly at Mary and the fact that she was able to give someone so much joy from just being friendly and having a photo taken; if only the rest of the world could see Mary the way he was already seeing her even after only knowing her for an extremely short period of time.

A little after 2am Dan found Matthew and Mary huddled together at a small table; Matthew perched on a stool, with Mary stood between his legs. As he approached them, Matthew noticed him and waved him over. Mary looked over her shoulder and smiled, she turned slightly and surprised both men when she perched lightly on one of Matthew's legs. "I see you two are enjoying yourselves" Dan remarked.

Matthew placed one hand on Mary's waist to steady her, "it's been a great night" he confirmed.

"Ready to get a cab? I could murder a kebab."

Matthew grimaced; the thought of greasy food and alcohol made him queasy. He looked to Mary who simply nodded, confirming that she was ready to leave.

Mary stood, pulling at the hem of her dress slightly where it had moved, "I could eat, you know." She smiled at Dan and then at Matthew and Dan promptly put his arm across her shoulders, pulling her towards him "a woman after my own heart" he joked.

The three of them collected Matthew and Greg's jackets from the cloakroom attendant and again, Matthew placed his over Mary. I wasn't until they neared the exit that Matthew suddenly remembered the paparazzi on their way in, he quickly grasped Mary's hand and came to a stop. She looked up at him and smiled, reminding him just to keep his head down and lead her to wherever they needed to go. Dan, like when they entered, walked the other side of Mary. Mary pulled her hand away from Matthew's pulled his jacket further around herself and the three of them exited Rags. Camera flashes were almost immediate; the original photographer now joined by two others. "Mary, Mary, Lady Mary" could be heard over and over but Matthew did as he was told, keeping his head down, gently guiding Mary to a place across the street for something to eat.

"Are you sure you want to stop for food?" He asked her quickly, knowing that the men would continue to take photos through the glass.

"I can't remember the last time I ate chips with cheese." Matthew laughed at her answer, not expecting Mary to be craving the greasy pairing.

Luckily not many customers were waiting to be served and they were able to order quickly. Mary tired to convince Matthew to order something for himself, but he assured her he'd never been one to eat so late. Dan ordered everything possible on his large kebab and Mary requested mayonnaise on her chips and cheese. The trio were successful in ignoring the flashes from the other side of the window, but were not oblivious to the attention it drew to them. They sat down at a red metal table and Dan enthusiastically ate while Mary ate her chips with a plastic fork. With much encouragement from Mary, Matthew managed a few of her chips and admitted that they were "quite nice."

"These will sort my hangover tomorrow" she told him. "I doubt I'd make it into work otherwise." Matthew nodded, not looking forward to waking in a few hours to go into the office himself.

After waving down a taxi, the three clambered inside with Matthew instructing the driver on their destinations; Mary's first, then his and finally Dan's, who lived just a few minutes from him. Inside the taxi Dan encouraged them both to take the morning off seen as they were both their own bosses; both declined saying they had far too much to do, Mary adding that it doesn't set a very good example to her employees. Once they arrived outside Mary's townhouse, Matthew helped her out and asked the driver to wait while he made sure she made it inside safely while Dan sat in the back averting his eyes from the view outside, barely awake.

As they reached the front door, Mary turned to Matthew with a sweet flirtatious smile "thank you for tonight."

Matthew stepped closer "it was my pleasure. I feel completely stupid for not thinking to invite you in the first place."

"And _I_ feel completely stupid for almost declining." Mary placed her palm on Matthew's chest as she stepped that one step closer that was needed for her lips to gently touch his. Matthew grasped hold of her hips eagerly and the kiss quickly became explorative. Mary bit down gently onto his bottom lip, her own lips curving into a cheeky grin as Matthew released a low groan.

Inside the taxi, the driver tapped impatiently on the wheel. "You think he's coming back?" He asked Dan. Dan peered out of the window before settling back into the seat, shrugging his shoulders. "I've got a home to get to as well ya know."

"The meters running isn't it?" Dan reminded him, "you're getting paid."

When Mary took a step back, Matthew quickly missed the softness of her lips and the feel of her nails lightly scraping his scalp. She took his jacket from her shoulders and passed it back to him with a smile. "Until next time, Lady Mary." Matthew grinned, his voice smooth, charming and flirtatious all at once.

"Happy Birthday Matthew" she kissed him once more, this time sweetly on the cheek and then watched as he rushed back towards he taxi. Offering a small wave in return to his before he got in.

Matthew rubbed his hands together as the taxi drove away, warming them up. "For a moment there I thought you might have gone in with her" Dan mumbled, his eyes half closed.

"Were you spying on us?"

"Hardly. Does it not bother you that half of the population has seen her naked when you haven't?"

"Dan." Matthew sighed.

"I'm not trying to be funny about it. Just wondering. She's nice, I can tell you like her; I'd hate it." Dan opened his eyes fully when Matthew didn't reply, watching him closely as he seemed deep in thought. "Just watch it mate, seriously. It might even get rid of some of the nerves when you get her into bed." Matthew continued his silence for the duration of the drive. He said goodnight to Dan, passing him some money towards the taxi and quickly entered his apartment. His phone immediately pinged and he took it from his pocket, rolling his eyes at the text that simply said 'watch it'.

Matthew sighed and slowly and curiously walked towards his laptop, lifting the lid and pressing the button to take it out of standby mode he was greeted with a still picture of a much younger looking Mary; her hair much lighter and clearly highlighted with bleach. She was laid out on a bed and although he could only see her shoulders, neck and head she appeared to be at least topless. His finger hovered over the mouse until finally he clicked for it to play. Mary, now fully clothed on the screen; the image blurry, she wasn't looking towards the camera, nor at the young man who had now entered the scene. He reached for her with both hands and Matthew quickly reached for the mouse, closing the screen entirely. He inhaled deeply, cursing himself for being even slightly curious for that short amount of time. He knew that if he'd watched even a second more he wouldn't be able to delete the images from his mind, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself.

After tonight, Matthew now knew more than he had before just how much he liked this woman. He wished to know her in every way possible and he looked forward to doing so in good time. Just one week ago he hadn't even met her but now laying in his bed with his eyes closed he couldn't stop thinking of her. He smiled, remembering how sweet she was to the young girl, Sarah, in the club and sighed remembering the way her lips felt against his. He was only able to look forward to a few hours of sleep before rising again for work, but Matthew couldn't curse his late night with regret and that was simply because of her; his Lady Mary.


	12. Chapter 12

_Thanks again for your continued support and reviews. This part it certainly shorter than the last and nothing much happens, but I wanted to get more to you quickly after your lovely words of encouragement._

_I'm glad that you all seem to like the Matthew and Mary interactions so far... And yes it does seem Matthew is very easily and quickly falling for her._

_They will talk about the sex tape scandal at some point... I'm just not sure when as yet._

-...-...-

Considering he'd woken quite groggy due to the night before, Matthew was of high spirits in the office. He'd written notes on a case he really should have made earlier in the week and made a few appointments for later in the week, now he sat tapping his foot on the floor with very little to do. He wondered for a moment why he insisted opening the office and working on days when he had no appointments, but reminded himself that it was still a new firm and the more work he put in the better. Matthew reached for a pile of papers to file, smirking to himself at the grief Joseph will surely give him over doing jobs that were supposedly assigned to him.

He'd barely began filing when his phone began to ring; Matthew smiled at the display before answering, "hello Mother."

"Did you have a fantastic Birthday my boy?" She asked, "I wish I could have come down to see you, but it's just so far to travel by train and you know how much I hate to drive on the motorway."

"There's no need to apologise Mother, I had a wonderful Birthday as it happens and I'm still planning on driving up to see you this weekend coming, if you'll still have me that is?"

Isobel almost gasped with excitement "of course I'll have you, it'll be such a pleasure. I wasn't so sure you'd make it, with your firm being so new. You must be terribly busy."

Matthew smiled a little, looking down at the pathetic amount of filing, "some days are busier than others."

"But now Matthew, there was something I wanted to speak with you about."

"Oh?" Matthew leaned back into his seat, "that sounds dreadfully ominous."

Isobel sighed "well, I couldn't help but notice the picture of you in the paper today..."

"Ah, that." Matthew ran his palm over his face. He hadn't seen any of the papers yet and he'd almost forgotten that it could be a possibility; he certainly hadn't thought about his Mother finding out about his new love interest in this way.

"Yes, that... Matthew, I suppose I don't need to tell you who that woman is or the reputation she holds?"

Matthew sighed, "no Mother, you don't."

"They why on earth did you think it would be a good idea to go gallivanting around with her? And don't try to make out it's all very innocent, I saw how your arm was around her, I read the story about how she picked you up in some bar!"

"Now hold on Mother. I have not seen what they are saying but from what I'm hearing from you now, I can assure you that whatever it is is untrue. I met Mary a week ago at William's wedding, she's... Well she's unlike anyone I've ever met before. I don't know much of her reputation as such, only from what I've been told just recently, but I do know that I'm very much enjoying getting to know her." Matthew couldn't remember the last time he'd ranted like this to his Mother; he must have been only a teenager at the time, but he couldn't help but defend Mary and his reasons for spending time with her.

He heard Isobel sigh on the other end of the phone and waited a few seconds for her reply, but nothing came. "Mother... I -"

"Matthew, I only want you to be happy." Matthew smiled at this. "Just promise me you'll be careful with this woman... You are being careful aren't you? Protecting yourself?"

Matthew blushed, "mother!"

"Oh no, no Matthew. That is not what I meant but I do hope you're taking precautions there too. What I meant was... I do hope you're protecting your heart? You were always such a sweet and sensitive boy, I would hate to see you hurt."

"I'll be careful Mother, I promise. Anyway, it's very early days yet."

"I suppose I should consider myself lucky for seeing it in the paper this morning. If she wasn't in the public eye I imagine I wouldn't even know you were seeing anybody. You're so secretive."

"I wouldn't exactly call it secretive."

"I don't recall the last time you mentioned a girl to me Matthew, never mind the last time I met a girlfriend of yours." It was true, Isobel had always looked forward to the day Matthew would settle down, marry and give her grandchildren, yet she'd never actually been formally introduced to any women of any importance.

"We've been out a handful of times" he assured his mother in very little words that he and Mary were nowhere near close to serious, yet he couldn't help but smile at the thought that they could be in the future,

"Ok, ok. I'll leave you alone now. So I'll be seeing you this weekend?"

"Indeed you will" Matthew raised his eyebrows slightly as Joseph quietly ushered a delivery man through with a large potted plant. "Take care, Mother. Bye" he ended the call, placing his hands on his hips.

"I'll need your signature, Sir" came the delivery man's voice, holding a clipboard and pen out in front of him as he stepped towards Matthew. Matthew frowned slightly, signing quickly. The man pushed the clipboard into the back of his trousers and proceeded with positioning the heavy greenery in its solid black pot. "Will here be sufficient?" He gestured to its placing.

Matthew nodded quickly, stepping towards the plant when he noticed an envelope balancing on its branches. He took the envelope and smiled politely up at both men as Joseph offered to see him out. Matthew waited until the door was closed firmly before he opened the envelope to see what was inside, almost with a schoolboy level of excitement and curiosity. The first word he spotted was her name- Mary. His stomach fluttered slightly before he read the message quickly; once, twice and then a third time more slowly with a smile. 'Dear Matthew. I do hope you had a wonderful Birthday yesterday. I wasn't sure what I could get for you as a present, but thought this would brighten up your office. I hope it's manly enough for you, Mary xx'

Matthew smirked at her choice of message. The handwriting wasn't hers, he knew that much at least. She must have ordered it first thing this morning; a rush order for a Saturday no doubt. He walked back over to his desk, reaching for his phone to call and say thank you but quickly decided against the idea in favour for another. He glanced at the clock on his wall and pushed his phone into his trouser pocket before pacing out of his office, "Joseph, I'm going out for an early lunch... It may be a long lunch."

"Ok, shall I redirect any important calls that may come in?"

Matthew immediately shook his head "no, take messages. I'm not sure when I'll be back." And with that he'd shrugged into his blazer and left the building.

Always one to curse central London traffic, Matthew decided to take the underground to her office, stopping at the nearest Starbucks before entering the large building. He clutched two hot paper cups and paced towards the elevator, now feeling nervous with his spontaneity. He'd not been inside her office before but knew of its location from when he dropped her off after their first lunch date. He checked what floor she was on and pushed the correct button, his heart rate now twice as fast.

When the elevator doors opened smoothly, Matthew heard her before he saw her. "Anna, I'm going out early today. Call me if there are any problems, I'll see you tomorrow." Tomorrow? She was on her way out? Matthew quickly wondered what to do; did he continue in his pursuit of her and exit the elevator or did he simply press the button to take him back onto the ground floor. Before he had chance to decide he heard her surprise "Matthew!?" He looked up to be greeted by possibly the widest and most genuine smile he'd seen in a long time and he stepped towards her quickly. "This is such a lovely surprise." She told him, stopping herself from leaning up to kiss his cheek.

"Uh.. I... Thank you for the plant." He spoke quickly, completely caught off guard. "I thought I'd bring you some coffee to say thank you and see if you were free for an early lunch?"

Mary looked down at the two cups in his hands and he quickly handed hers to her. She took a small sip and smiled appreciatively "you learn quickly Matthew", she spoke of the way he'd come to know already how she liked her coffee. "And you're welcome. I know it wasn't the nicest or most thoughtful of gifts, but I wanted to get you something."

Matthew grinned cheekily, his cheeks blushing slightly as he lowered his voice "I thought you addressed the gift last night."

Mary shrugged, lowering her voice so only he could he her "on reflection it seemed quite selfish on my part."

Matthew's blush deepened and he cleared his throat, stepping back slightly, "so, lunch might be out of the question as it seems you might be off out somewhere?"

"Indeed I am. I like to take Saturday afternoons to do something for myself, something I've enjoyed immensely since I was a young girl." Mary smiled up at him a little, tapping on her coffee cup with her index finger as she thought for the shortest of moments, "you could join me if you'd like?"

Matthew glanced around nervously, stepping from one foot to the other "I really wouldn't want to intrude on your private time."

"Nonsense. You wouldn't be intruding, in fact I'd quite like for you to join me."

"Well if you're positive that I-"

"Well that's settled then." Mary stepped towards the elevator and Matthew followed. "You might want to call the office and let them know you won't be in for the remainder of the day, that is unless you were planning on working late?" Matthew shook his head, his thoughts barely able to catch up as the pair exited the elevator into the underground car park. "Do you have your car?"

"No, I took the underground." He quickened his pace to catch up with Mary as she walked purposefully. Hearing a beep of a car being unlocked, Matthew realised that they were stood directly in front of a large black range rover. Mary reached to open the door on the driver's side.

"I would get your door for you as you usually do mine, however I wouldn't want to emasculate you" Mary joked lightly as a prompt for him to round the car and get into the passenger's side.

"No driver today?" Matthew finally asked, now managing to put words along with his thoughts. Each time he'd encountered Mary she'd had a driver, he wasn't even sure he knew she was able to drive.

Mary slid into the seat, waiting for Matthew to do the same before she answered him, "no, like I said; I like to have Saturday afternoons for myself" she smiled a little at him as she started the engine and Matthew couldn't help his grin as he thought about how she'd invited him along to her 'me' time... Whatever that consisted of.


	13. Chapter 13

_Thank you so much for continuing to read and thank you evens more to those who are leaving such kind reviews. It's so nice to know that you like what I'm doing with Mary and Matthew in this modern setting and that you believe I capture them well._

_I love that some of you are reading parts again and again. We all need a bit of light fluff to read now and again._

_I do hope things don't seem to be moving too quickly for them, but please tell me if you think they are. Obviously circumstances are different and it is very AU but I don't want them to be too out of character._

_Anyway, here's more and I'm certain there will be even more very soon afterwards._

...-...-...-

As soon as they'd excited the car park, Mary's eyes squinted against the spring sunshine and she asked Matthew if he'd be kind enough to pass her sunglasses that were in the top of her handbag by his feet. He quickly did as he was asked and then continued to simply observe her. Even the way she drove was graceful and beautiful to him; the way she gripped and turned the wheel, her posture in the seat, her lack of road rage when driving through busy central London.

Halted in traffic, Mary turned to smile at Matthew warmly "I had a really great time last night." She told him sincerely.

"Good, I'm glad. Me too, although I must admit it was a little hard waking this morning." He laughed a little at his admission. Mary nodded and reached quickly for the coffee he'd bought for her in the cup holder, taking a quick sip and putting it back in place before the traffic moved.

As the drive continued, Matthew and Mary spoke about their mornings at work and Mary asked him about his Birthday in general. Matthew asked with only a small amount of embarrassment what kind of plant it was she sent him so that he was able to google exactly how to take care of it. Mary had smiled fondly at him and informed him that it was a yucca and that google would certainly be the best option as she had no idea how to keep it alive. They laughed together and than Matthew finally asked where they were going.

"I'm surprised it took you so long to ask, Matthew. Didn't your Mother teach you not to just jump into cars with women because they told you to?" She teased. Matthew smiled, wondering himself why he was only now starting to become curious about where they were going, but realised it was because he just simply liked spending time with her and that prospect alone was enough for him to follow her anywhere. "I keep horses." She told him simply. "Ever since I was a girl, I've loved to ride. We all did actually, Edith, Sybil and I. With my sisters it was just something to do when we were young I suppose, but I never out grew it."

Mary's voice was soft and smooth to Matthews ears; he smiled hearing her speak about something she clearly loved and was passionate about. "So we're going riding?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

Mary glanced at him quickly before turning her attention back to the road, "you know how to ride?"

"Well... Er, no actually."

Mary chuckled a little, "we don't have to ride. I mean, I usually do, even if its just for a while. But it's nice just told be out in the fresh air sometimes, particularly when the weather is like it is."

"Do you go every Saturday?"

Mary nodded, "as many as I can."

"You should ride." He told her, "I'd happily watch, maybe... Maybe you could teach me one day?"

Mary smiled at his suggestion, glancing towards him for a little longer this time, "definitely. But certainly not today, you're not dressed for such a thing." It was only then that Matthew seemed to recognise that she was indeed dressed differently to how he'd seen her at work before; her clothes were much more practical and casual. When he'd arrived at her office, he briefly noted the difference in her attire but was caught so off guard by her presence by the elevator that he barely had chance to think about which coffee was hers, let alone the reason why she appeared less 'put together'.

"So, where do you keep the horses?"

"We'll be there soon enough. They're at a private stables in Elmbridge."

"Surrey?"

Mary nodded "would you like to eat afterwards or stop for sandwiches on the way?"

"Whichever you prefer. I'm not particularly hungry yet."

"Me either" Mary agreed, "I know a nice place not too far from the stables, we can go there after." As they turned onto a winding country road, Mary lowered the windows slightly, allowing the country air to enter the car. She inhaled deeply and Matthew followed suit, remembering picnics as a young boy with his Mother and Father in Surrey before their move to Manchester.

In total they drove for almost an hour and a half. Mary surprised herself how much she opened up to Matthew; how easy it was to speak to him and how nothing she said, no matter how simple or silly, seemed to bore him- he was genuinely interested in everything she had to say. She'd also loved hearing more abut his childhood in both Surrey and Manchester; the country air seemed to make them both nostalgic. Matthew had mentioned his Father's death and Mary fell silent, biting down on her lip for a short moment, wondering what else to say other than "I'm sorry." He assured her she needn't say anything more than that; it was a long time ago. Matthew then went on to talk about a small fair that used to visit the Surrey town they lived in up until the age of 8; his memories were happy yet vague due to his young age at the time they lived there. Mary commented that she'd not been able to visit small town fairs as a child and sometimes she envied other girls who were able to go even though she'd spent many of her summers at Disney World. "The grass is always greener" Matthew had laughed and Mary quickly agreed, stating that others were extremely jealous of her during childhood which made it difficult for her to make friends she was able to trust. Matthew thought aloud, remembering the fair was always during spring and maybe if he could find out when it visited they could go; Mary's smile was wide, like that of a young excited girl and she agreed that the idea was lovely and she'd be delighted to go if it were at all possible.

Mary turned onto a rough gravelled road and slowed the car. In the distance, Matthew could see a small arrangement of stables and some fenced fields. Behind that was a vast amount of grass and trees, seemingly for miles. "Do you own this land?"

Mary turned into a parking space next to a small battered truck and turned off the engine. "Most of it" she shrugged, "the stables are mine. There are only 4 horses, well 3 and a pony, plus space for a few more if it were necessary. The land over there" she pointed towards the wooded area that spanned for miles "is semi private, shared by myself and two others who own land around it." She leaned down and across for her bag by Matthew's feet, her arm brushing across his leg as she did so.

Matthew stepped out of the car after Mary, taking in his surroundings; it all seemed rather grand- who on earth would need 4 horses? Mary pushed her handbag onto her shoulder, calling for Matthew to walk with her. Matthew smiled tightly and Mary pushed her sunglasses onto the top of her head "everything ok Matthew?"

"Yes, I um. It's all very big, it seems like an awful lot of land and horses for just one person." He looked into the distance again, his eyes straining against the sun.

Mary smiled softly "it is. I own all of the horses of course, but only two of them are really mine. I employ a friendly gentleman, David to look after the place on a daily basis. A few years ago he mentioned the empty stables and asked if he could possibly get a couple of horses for his children to ride after school. Of course, I had no reason to disagree and in the end, I bought another horse and a pony and allowed him to teach a few of the local children during the week and on a Sunday with the agreement that Saturdays be kept strictly private for me". She nodded over her shoulder as they walked slowly to the truck next to her car "that's his truck there, I'll introduce you; he's probably around feeding the horses as we speak."

She picked up speed along the winding path towards the stables and Matthew pushed his hands in his pockets, walking alongside her "that's a really nice thing you allowed. Sharing this space with others" Matthew praised her as the thought entered his head.

Mary turned to him and smiled "just don't tell anybody. I wouldn't want the entire population knowing I have even the smallest amount of generosity in me would I?" She spoke of it as a joke, yet Matthew understood a little more about her in that moment than he had before. He knew she liked to keep private, he'd learnt that very early on, but what he was beginning to realise was that it was _who_ she was that she liked to keep from others, rather than herself as a whole. She'd go to events, be photographed out and about and, as far as he could see, not care when the media reported less than flattering and false stories, but the real Mary, the one he was getting to know more and more, was strictly off limits to the public eye and in that moment Matthew felt truly honoured that she was allowing him to see her for who she really was.

Before he knew it, they'd reached the stables and his thoughts were interrupted by her welcoming voice "David" she smiled, "I trust the horses are well."

"They are indeed, Lady Mary. I just fed them a little while ago. All clean too. I was just about to head home, would you like me to saddle any up for you?" He looked between Mary and Matthew, waiting for her to answer him.

Mary shook her head "no thank you, I'm not sure I'll be riding today, but if I do I'm sure I can manage."

"Very well. I'll be off then." He lowered his head a little to bid her goodbye before passing the couple on the way to his truck. "Oh." He quickly turned and called out "have you got a key to lock up?"

Mary turned around fully and smiled "I have a spare in my bag, yes thank you." And with that David was gone, leaving Mary and Matthew alone. Matthew continued to follow her along the path and into the wooden stable, immediately inhaling the smell of hay. Mary hung her bag on a hook by the door and made her way to the stale at the end. Matthew followed her slowly, feeling his lips curve into a small smile as she reached out towards a tall black horse who leaned over the stable door. She stroked him tenderly before turning back and smiling towards Matthew "Diamond, meet Matthew, Matthew, meet Diamond."

Matthew stepped towards her and gingerly reached out to touch the beautiful horse. Mary smiled at his cautiousness and laughed a little as Diamond turned to sniff him. "I think he might like you."

"Oh really?" Matthew stepped back a little from the horse.

Mary nodded "he's a good judge of character too." She leaned forward and pressed her face against the horse, nuzzling him slightly before stepping back slightly "he knows all my secrets, you know."

"Oh really? Have you had him for long?"

Mary nodded "I remember when he arrived at the stables of the family home when I was a young girl. All the other horses we had were brown or white and I thought he was so beautiful. I begged my Father to let me ride him but he said I was too little. Then on my thirteenth Birthday, he gave him to me and I couldn't have been more pleased." She laughed a little at the memory "he was still far too big for me and I was determined to be able to ride him. I broke my ankle that summer, but as soon as it healed I was right back on him." She gave the horse a gentle pat before turning to Matthew fully, "of course I can't ride him as much as I'd like now. He's getting old and I can't take him out on the uneven ground without putting us at risk." She pointed to the deep chocolate brown horse in the stable opposite "Freddie" she said the horses name simply, almost as though she was introducing him to Matthew. "I got him about 6 years ago and over the last year or two have been riding him more and more because of Diamond's age. The other two, over here" she walked a few steps towards the other occupied stables "are the horses David uses for his lessons. Malcolm, the taller one and Hannah, the pony." Mary watched as Matthew reached out to stroke the small sized white pony and smiled at him as he turned back to her.

"So, are you going to show me how it's done?" He asked her quickly, gesturing to Freddie.

"Oh, no." Mary shook her head. "Like I said, you're not dressed for it and I wouldn't want to be responsible if-"

"Mary" Matthew silenced her. "I don't mean _me_. You should ride a little. After all, I'm sure that's exactly what you'd be doing now if it weren't for me coming along."

Mary smiled at his suggestion, "well alright. But only for a while and only in the field, that way I can ride Diamond; give him a little exercise."

Matthew sat on a small wooden bench at the side of the stables, watching Mary as she circled the field on Diamond. It hadn't taken her long to saddle him up at all and he watched in awe as she guided him through the tall green grass, giving his back a gentle and affectionate pat when he bent to nibble at some. While watching her, Matthew found himself wondering why and how anyone could come to the conclusion that this woman was anything short of perfect. He'd only known her a short amount of time, yet the kindness, sincerely and generosity he'd witnessed alongside her beauty, intelligence and grace made him only want to get to know her even more. It felt like they'd known each other much, much longer than a week and he began planning in his head ways in which he could find excuses to see her as much as possible in the next few days, particularly with his impending visit to Manchester to see his Mother.


	14. Chapter 14

_Hi guys, I really need to apologise for how late this part is. I said it would be posted quickly after the last and that was the plan until I got sick. I've been in bed all week with terrible tonsillitis, and unfortunately, even now I think it has had a negative effect on this part. (I forgot what I wanted to write!)  
There was going to be more to this, but I decided to cut it short and focus on making the part after much much better. Still, I hope you enjoy this and continue to read and review. _

_The last chapter got reviews from readers that have not reviewed before, so I thank you all._

_Thank you to dribsndrabs, Lisa, audrey, type little a (yes we will see violet soon), uppityminx, downtonlove, katy, purpleshipper, Cls2011, and the unnamed guest For their reviews and also to fanaticdA and matthewandmaryfluffalert for their support via PM._

-...-...-

Matthew gazed through the window of Mary's car as she drove over a gravelled path towards a large building that looked, to him, very much like a country mansion rather than a place to eat. The car came to a stop directly in front of the building and Mary's door was opened for her. She asked Matthew to pass over her handbag and she stepped out of the car, taking her sunglasses off and putting them inside the bag before hooking it over her arm. Matthew stepped around the car, his eyes on the large building on front of him until he reached her. He watched as Mary handed her keys to the young man who'd opened her door before he drove off to park her car. Matthew cleared his throat "some place."

Mary laughed a little at his comment, lacing her free arm through his and squeezing it a little, "it looks a lot scarier than it is. Come on, the food here is wonderful."

They began to walk arm in arm to the main entrance "it just looks so grand."

Mary nodded, "it is. I don't come here often at all really, but our entire family are members and with it being so close to the stables, the privacy of its strict members' policy is too tempting to take advantage of." They entered the lobby, which smelled sweet and possibly even a little wealthy; if it were at all possible for a building to smell like wealth, Matthew decided that this was what it would smell like. Mary smiled politely when recognised and seated by a member of management. Matthew followed them to a small table in a corner of the 'tea room', he'd heard it being called that when Mary had assured the man that they were only eating a casual lunch. Matthew frowned slightly when the manager pulled out Mary's chair for her to sit, instead of allowing him to do it. He flexed his fingers nervously on his knees, surveying the room as Mary exchanged small pleasantries and ordered for everything to be billed to her account.

The tea room wasn't particularly busy, most likely due to it being quite late for lunch. There were a few tables vacant around them and Matthew noticed that the tables in use were mainly occupied by either groups of middle-aged women or families dressed to perfection. Luckily, Matthew was still dressed for work so he didn't feel completely out of place. As the manager left, Matthew met Mary's eyes across the table and they shared a small smile. "Relax" she told him, lowering her eyes to her menu. Matthew inhaled deeply in attempt, lifting his own menu slightly to peruse the lunch options.

And relax he did, it wasn't at all difficult to relax around Mary as they ate their light meals and she educated him on the building they were in, retelling him all the architectural tales she'd heard her father boast about time and time again when they used to attend as a family. Her father didn't particularly love architecture, but he did love all things expensive and he loved to speak about his own wealth and the wealth of the club he belonged to. Matthew, however was a little interested in architecture and when he made a comment on the brickwork, followed by another on the fireplace, Mary decided to pass on the information etched into her memory.

Matthew sipped at his freshly squeezed orange juice and gazed out of the large windows, admiring the country view. "It really is such a lovely day." He mused. "And you and Diamond looked absolutely wonderful together earlier." He turned his gaze back to Mary and he noticed her subtle blush. He smiled "beautiful".

"Oh Matthew" she waved off his compliment and took a sip of her sparkling water.

"No Mary, truly. I'm so pleased you invited me along today. I feel like watching you with him has drawn me even closer to you, like I know so much about who you are already." Now it was Matthew's turn to blush, his words had gotten away from him. "Sorry, I-" he didn't know how to apologise for something that was completely true. Mary smiled sweetly at him so Matthew simply smiled in return, mentally kicking himself for saying such cliche things.

"Shall we order dessert?" Mary changed the subject, leaning across the table for the small dessert menu. Matthew sighed a sigh of relief, giving her a nod of approval before they each looked at the menu in turn. Mary summoned over their waiter and each of them ordered their choice of dessert. "You must try a little of mine when it arrives," Mary told Matthew, "it is simply dev-" Mary paused mid-word, her eyes narrowed as she recognised someone over Matthew's shoulder "oh god" she grimaced.

Matthew turned quickly and noticed a woman with strawberry blonde hair and a fake plastered smile walking towards them. She waved in their direction, which made him wonder for a short moment if he was supposed to recognise her. When he turned back to Mary, she held her head in her hand, "what's he matter?" He asked her.

"My sister is the matter" she spoke low so only he could hear and then quickly raised her head, standing from her seat as Edith neared their table. Matthew watched in amazement as her frown turned into a forced pleasant smile. "Edith." She spoke cheerily to greet her. "What a surprise, I don't usually bump into you here."

Edith glanced down at Matthew suspiciously "well we come here a lot, so maybe it's _you_ that _I_ should be surprised to see?" Just as she finished speaking, she was caught up by an older man and a young girl. Edith turned to them briefly and smiled. "And who do we have here?" She asked, gesturing to Matthew, who had now already stood from his seat.

Mary moved around the table to stand beside Matthew as she made the introduction. "Matthew, this is my sister Edith and-"

"Lady Edith" Edith quickly correctly, holding out her hand for Matthew to take, which he quickly obliged to.

Mary smiled tightly, placing a gentle hand on Matthew's forearm to let him know he could let go of her hand now. "My sister Edith, her husband Colin and step-daughter Imogen," Mary finished her introduction that had previously been interrupted with her sister's lack of modesty. "And this is Matthew."

Matthew leant forward to shake Colin's hand, he now remembered both his and Edith's face from the wedding, however they hadn't actually met. "Are you here for a late lunch also?" He asked, now offering his hand to young Imogen, who couldn't have been any older than 12 by his estimation. Imogen looked down at his hand for a moment before lightly placing hers within his. Mary smiled at the gesture, recognising Imogen's initial shock. Children in high society usually were overlooked in introductions, unless they were young enough to be cooed at or old enough to match-make.

"Oh heavens no" Edith answered Matthews's question, "we always lunch at a proper time. Colin was on the golf course and Imogen and I decided to come and join him for some afternoon tea, didn't we Immie?" Imogen rolled her eyes, barely looking at her step-mother which prompted another smirk from Mary. "So what brings the two of you out here?" She looked from Mary to Matthew and back to Mary again.

"Oh, Mary took me out to see her horses." Mary had opened her mouth to speak, but stopped when she heard Matthew answer, she stepped a little closer towards him, her arm now brushing against his.

"She did, did she?" Edith rose her eyebrows in surprise. "Well you must feel honoured. Mary, is this the _same_ 'Matthew' Sybil was telling me of, the one you met at the wedding?"

Mary now spoke more stiffly, "of course it is."

"And pictured out on the town together last night?" Edith meddled. Matthew shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other; he knew from conversations he'd had with Mary that she and Edith didn't get on and he could now sense that he was about to be in the middle of something.

Mary sighed with exasperation "what are you getting at Edith?"

Edith help her hands up in defence, smiling widely, "oh nothing, nothing. Honestly. I'm just shocked that's all."

"Shocked?"

"Of course. Twice in the same week? That's quite unheard of for you. I thought you liked to keep your options more open than that."

Mary squeezed her fists, trying to contain the anger she felt towards her sister. She took a deep breath to reply, but again heard Matthew speak up beside her. "More than twice actually." He grinned down at Edith and then at Mary. Mary smiled a little back at him and instantly began to calm down; Matthew seemed to recognise what her sister was doing and he wasn't about to be a pawn in her game.

Edith covered her shock with another fake toothy smile, looking between the pair of them "well, I suppose I should wish you luck Matthew, after all you'll need it with her." Matthew was about to reply when Mary placed a hand on his arm, signalling for him to leave it there, shaking her head a little when he looked down at her and without another word spoken, Edith and her family had moved towards a table at the other side of the room.

Without removing her hand from Matthews's arm, Mary looked up at him, gauging his reaction. "So... That was my sister." Her tone was flat and she tried to smile up at him, but Matthew could see she was clearly worried about what had been said. He took her hand in his and walked her around the table, holding her seat out for her. She quietly sat down and watched carefully as he sat opposite her. "Matthew, Edith... She says things and-"

Matthew shook his head, "believe me, I've heard so many things this last week from people close to me. Something your sister says, who I know you don't get on with, is hardly going to put me off."

Matthew's words were supposed to assure her that he wasn't listening to anyone else's option on her, other than his own, but he could tell instantly that he maybe should have chosen his words more carefully. "What kind of things have you heard?" Her voice was quite, her eyes wide like a deer.

Matthew shifted uncomfortably "just things about you... And men and... Look it's just my closest friends and my mother being protective that's all, I don't-"

"You _mother_!?" Mary's voice, still low, but now sharp and quick. She groaned, unable to put into words even for herself why that panicked her so much.

"Mary," Matthew reached for her hand across the table. She hooked two of her fingers over his, her eyes fixed on their joined hands. "I didn't listen to their opinions. I don't care what they-"

"But you should care Matthew. _I_ care; your mother, your friends. It matters what they think if we're going to continue." She squeezed his hand a little before releasing it and placing both of hers in her lap under the table. "I think there are a few things I need to share with you." She looked up at him, suddenly determined to share her past with him.

"Mary, you don't need to, not here." He whispered, leaning over the table.

But Mary only nodded "I do. If I don't speak now, I don't know when I'll get the confidence to do it again and I need you to... No, I _want_ you to know."

Matthew's mouth curved into a small smile "ok."


	15. Chapter 15

_Wow, you're all so kind with your reviews- thank you so much. And yes, I am feeling much better than I was._

_So many of you have been waiting for this conversation, and I worry that it's not as huge as you may have liked. Hopefully you'll enjoy it and I hope to have more soon for you by the end of the week._

...-...-...-

Mary clasped her hands together in her lap, exhaling deeply "I suppose I should just start at the beginning" she said more to herself than to Matthew. She glanced up at him under her lashes briefly. Mary rehearsed words in her head quickly; she knew exactly what event started her reputation, but the thought of beginning with that made her mouth go dry. "Or maybe some justification... A little history" she muttered. Matthew sat silent and patient, watching as she struggled to tell him the things she said she needed to. For a short moment he thought about helping her out, mentioning the things he _did_ know, but quickly thought against it and by this time Mary had seemed to have gained a little more confidence. Her next shaky breath was followed by the words, "I imagine you'll be surprised to hear that I was a bit of a 'late bloomer'... My sisters and I attended girls' schools throughout our education. Most of the boys I encountered were either family or completely boring. The summer after my sixteenth birthday I pleaded with my Father for me to take part in a foreign exchange programme. Of course, he wouldn't allow it but did agree to house an exchange student."

Mary paused for a few moments, her palms now hot and slightly clammy. She swallowed hard, her eyes briefly meeting with Matthew's; his blue orbs were fixed on her the whole time, his expression calm and welcoming in a way that told Mary he was ready for whatever she wanted to tell him. "Kemal. He was from Turkey and older than me at 18. Of course, my Father wouldn't settle on any exchange student, not in his house; his family had to be wealthy, he needed to know how to behave in society considering he'd be with us for six weeks. We were instantly attracted to each other and I suddenly realised I knew how to flirt. Of course, Edith was jealous. We got closer and well, I began to trust him... He was my first. My parents never knew what we were up two in their house; my Father would certainly have sent him straight back if he knew." Mary sighed, realising how many unnecessary things she'd said, but the closer she got to speaking about her shame, the faster her heart raced and the more she spoke. It was time to just come with it; he clearly already knew anyway, she told herself. Unfortunately, this was a topic Mary had never discussed with anyone other than her Mother, Anna and one other. "He filmed me... He filmed us. He found an old camera in the house and left it on the tripod one evening when we were together in his room." Mary frowned as the words left her mouth, not daring to look Matthew straight in the eye.

"You didn't know he was filming you?"

Mary shook her head "not right away. I never would have agreed, but by the time he'd grabbed the camera we were already... It was too late and I was too young to care."

"Did he sell it?"

Mary shook her head once more, "I thought he took the tape with him when he went home, but a few years later I was proved wrong when everyone in England seemed to have a downloaded copy on their computer virtually overnight." She felt her skin heat with embarrassment. "I didn't even miss him when he'd gone; I didn't love him, I barely liked him... Unfortunately when the tape was released I _was_ finally in a relationship. We'd met in college and had been together over a year... I tried to explain to him, but...He didn't like his girlfriend on show to the world." Mary shrugged her shoulders a little, clearly the wounds still hurt when speaking of them and Matthew refrained from standing and taking her into his arms. "So that was the end of that. I was just about to launch Lady Mary and it all just came at the wrong time..." Mary laughed pathetically "not that there's really a _right_ time for one's sex tape to be leaked."

There was a short moment of silence and just before Mary was about to fill it, the waiter came with their dessert. Matthew smiled pleasantly in thanks and the two of them silently picked up their spoons to sample their choices. Mary looked up at Matthew through her dark lashes "the pictures Matthew, the stories of me out with these men and my reputation for being promiscuous- none of that's true. It's just all come from this." She shook her head, "I don't even know why I'm telling you all of this... We only just met." Again, her musings were directed more at herself rather than Matthew. She took another small bite of her dessert before placing her spoon down, noticing that Matthew had also stopped eating. "I'll go sign the bill and then we can go."

Before Matthew had chance to respond, Mary had stood and left the table. He gazed out of the large window, her words still ringing through his ears. He still had questions of course; only simple ones- how did the tape leak? Who was the boyfriend she spoke of? Did she still love him?... No, surely not. That was at least 8 years ago now. Matthew frowned, remembering the sadness in her eyes when she spoke; he hated that she had to live through any amount of pain that could evoke that amount of sadness over a few shared words.

On her return, Mary simply told Matthew that she was ready to leave and he stood to follow her from the tea room. As they exited, he noticed Edith and her family sitting around a small table. He waved politely, but was only noticed by Imogen who smiled back at him briefly.

Matthew had to pick up his pace to keep up with Mary as they excited the building. She waved of the valet's offer to bring her car around and instead took the keys and asked where it was parked. He hair blew furiously in the breeze that has now turned into more of a wind and Matthew couldn't help but feel a little panicked. He wondered where this left them... He hadn't really responded to her story; he hadn't felt the need at the time. He thought that if he listened, showed understanding and didn't pass judgement, then it would be out of the way and they could carry on as they were; after all, he didn't care about what others said about her; he'd already told her that much. But what if she thought he did? What if she took his lack of words as a negative response? What if... Matthew suddenly leapt forward, reaching out for Mary's wrist as she neared her car.

"Mary" her name on his lips sounded heavenly and Mary stopped in her tracks, her eyes cast down to his fingers wrapped around his slender wrist, eventually tracing up the path of his arm with her vision to his face. She felt him pull her towards him a little and she allowed herself to be, stepping forward slightly. "Thank you for telling me." He finally said, still keeping hold of her wrist and gently tugging until she was stood just a step away from him. "None of it matters, you know. I don't care what happened over 10 yeas ago with some Turkish fool."

Mary couldn't help but smile at his term, glancing down at the ground to avoid his intense stare. "I just want you to accept my past, so that we-"

"You don't need my acceptance Mary." He told her as she looked up at him once more, "my god, you've got it, but you certainly don't need it" he shook his head, "I'm interested in _now_; the present and even the future, but not your past. I could never hold any past mistakes over you and I'd hate to think anyone ever could."

Mary's eyes searched for his hand which had now left her wrist and smiled at his words... _future_, he'd said he was interested in her future. She smiled up at him sweetly, and unable to say a word to follow what he'd just said to her, she reached for his hand lightly.

Matthew felt the small brush of her fingers against his and stepped closer at her gentle pull, his free hand automatically reaching for the curve of her neck as he lowered his head to kiss her; a move so natural he barely realised he was doing it.

Mary's eyes fluttered closed as Matthew's soft lips came into contact with hers; sweet and slow. Her hand still wrapped around his, Mary felt her head light as she stepped the final half step towards him in order for her body to be pressed against his. Their kisses the previous night were nothing in comparison; last night filled with lust and drunken confidence, today filled with curiosity and sweet promise. His kiss tasted divine; a small linger of his lemon dessert could be detected, but something even more delicious kept her lips attached to his; a taste that was completely his own... _Matthew_. Mary sighed a little as his lips slowly moved away from hers and she found herself swaying forward slightly, almost although he'd left her floating.

Mary took a slow, deep breath to compose herself, squeezing his hand a little before slowly dragging her fingers away with a smile, "I'll drive you home."

For most of the drive they sat in a comfortable silence, each reflecting on their time together in their own way. Mary had put the radio on low and she drove with her sunglasses on, humming along to the songs every now and then. As they approached the busier parts of London, Matthew shifted in the seat, unable to leave a question unanswered. "You said the tape wasn't leaked by Kemal..."

"Hmm?" Mary stopped humming the tune of the song and glanced at him quickly before continuing to look straight ahead.

"How did the tape get leaked if not by the guy?"

Mary sighed "Edith."

"Edith?" Matthew's shocked tone was clear, "your sister Edith?"

"The one and only. She found it in one of the guest rooms, still inside the camera no less. Of course she didn't come to me, _no_ instead she decided to pass it on" Mary rolled her eyes a little, "obviously she must have been _very_ upset with me that day."

"Well... Very, but I... How can she... To her own sister?"

"You'd have to know Edith to understand." Mary's tone was so matter of fact that it saddened Matthew to think that this behaviour was something she'd come to expect and accept from her sister.

"What did your parents make of it?"

"Edith or the tape in general?"

"Well, both I guess, but Edith."

Again, Matthew heard another long sigh from Mary before she answered "they don't know it was Edith who sent it out. As far as they're concerned it was the man himself. I didn't find out until six months later from an old friend; the rumour that it was her had been circulating and nobody quite believed it apparently. As soon as I heard, I knew it was true- she didn't even try to deny it."

"But why not tell your parents?"

"They were already disappointed enough in me, I didn't want them to feel that towards another of their children, even if it did mean Edith getting her comeuppance. They hate that we bicker and wish that we'd get along as well as Sybil and I or even she and Sybil. As far as they're concerned our rivalry is sisterly and petty, of course it's much more than that, but the truth would hurt my Mother too much." Matthew observed her features as she spoke so matter-of-factly. He allowed her answer to sink in, thinking about the words she'd chosen and how she'd put her parents' feelings towards Edith above her own reputation within the family. Of course that's what she'd done, he thought to himself, for she was perfect; more and more so the more he knew her.

Before he knew it, Mary had pulled into a parking space outside of his apartment building. He turned to her in his seat and smiled a little "would you come in for a while?" She smiled in return, simply taking off her seat belt in reply.

They stepped out of the car and Mary followed Matthew into his first floor apartment. The door closed behind them and Mary spun on her heels, taking quick inventory of his masculine furnishings. She followed the sound of his voice round a corner and found him behind the counter of a small kitchen area as he offered her coffee. She politely declined and Matthew put the pot down, leaning forward on the counter. Mary's movements mirrored his and within moments the pair were only millimetres apart with only the counter separating them. Mary's warm breath tickled Matthews's chin and he was quick to close the distance between them.

They both stood straight, Matthew rounding the counter awkwardly through their kiss in order to be closer to her and Mary immediately took hold of his shoulder, one hand dipping into the hair on the back of his head. Her mouth opened in invitation and Matthew held back a low groan when her tongue lightly slipped across his lip.

Creeping closer and closer to the point of no return, with Matthew's hands firmly on Mary's waist and her back arched and body pressed towards him, they finally broke apart, gasping for air. Mary stepped back a little, a small and possibly even shy smile playing at her lips. "In light of all things, today is _not_ the day for this." She gestured between them.

Matthew quickly agreed "certainly not." Yet he couldn't help but move towards her again, his fingers reaching out for the hem of her t-shirt to pull her closer.

Mary fell into him with a smile, placing her palms on his shoulders. "I should go."

"You just got here. Stay, we can watch tv." Mary smiled sweetly as his offer, leaning up to kiss him; her lips craving his since their embrace back at the club. Matthew's response was naturally eager, but before their kiss could become heated once more, Mary pressed her palms to his chest and pushed him back a little. "You should go." Matthew finally relented, his eyes drawn to her swollen lips.

Mary nodded slowly, "I want to see you... Soon" as much as Matthew's words and actions had assured her that he wasn't running away because of some silly sex tape, she still felt a nagging feeling in her stomach that told her to hold on tightly. Every time she was with him, she shocked herself with her actions, but constantly told herself that everything felt natural with him and she knew she needed to see where this went.

"You will. Tomorrow? We could-"

Mary shook her head, "family dinner. My parents always seem to manage at least one Sunday a month where we're all 'at home' for the afternoon. Sometimes it can last pretty late."

"Okay, well I'm actually visiting my Mother for the whole of next weekend, so it looks as though we need to make the most of the week doesn't it?" Mary nodded, a small frown knitting her eyebrows knowing that Matthew would be away for a few days- they'd barely managed to spend a day apart since they'd met. "I'm going to find out about this town fair," he told her, "but Monday, definitely, I'm taking you somewhere." Mary raised her eyebrows at his decisiveness. "I'm picking you up at 7... Yes 7." He confirmed when one eyebrow rose a little higher, "no late night at the office."

"Okay and we're going to need to brief this week. We have the follow up meeting early next week about the designs." Matthew nodded in response, their bodies still so close together; her fingers idly moving along his tie. "And I want to cook for you."

"You do?"

"Don't sound surprised."

Matthew laughed, "I'm not, I'm just wondering why we're having to pencil _so_ many dates in all at once" he told her, his amusement evident in his voice.

Mary shrugged a little, "I just want to make sure, that's all." And it was then that Matthew saw the vulnerability in her eyes; he almost saw just how much she wanted this and he felt his stomach dip a little.

"Don't you worry, Lady Mary. You'll be seeing plenty of me before the week is up, you'll see.."


	16. Chapter 16

_I would like to thank you all so much for your reviews and your patience!_

_I cannot believe it has taken me a month(!?) to write more of this. I was so so busy and then, it was just ... Difficult to get back into it. Your reviews have been so encouraging and it makes me smile to know that you have been waiting for more and even going back to re-read while you wait. Hopefully there will never be another long gap like this between parts and you will have to forgive me for this part, which is probably a bit all over the place, while I fall back into the flow of the story._

...-..-...-

Mary was relieved to see only Tom and Sybil's car parked at the front of her parents' house as she drove through the gate, and not Edith's. Of course, she knew she was expected, but nether-the-less relieved that she had yet to arrive. With it being quite early in the afternoon, Mary secretly hoped that it would be at least another couple of hours before she did.

It was only the very beginning of May, but so far they were having a very nice spring; Mary dropped her sunglasses into her bag before pushing open the heavy front door to her childhood home. "Hello?" She called out, hanging her bag on a hook. "Oh, Tom, hey." She called to him as he walked through the foyer towards the living room with a glass of water in his hand. Tom stopped and smiled pleasantly, taking steps towards her instead. "Where are my parents?"

"Robert's taking a call, he went off somewhere a while ago. Cora's in the kitchen getting in the cook's way by the looks of things." Mary nodded her understanding. Her mother always hired a cook for these family dinners and any other time she was entertaining. Mary never understood why; Cora was a fine cook. Maybe that was one of the reasons she always seemed to interfere with their work, particularly when using someone new from the agency. Earlier that morning Mary had rolled her eyes down the phone, hearing her Mother complain how their usual cook was unavailable and that they'd have to go with someone different.

"Where's Sybil?" Tom gestured towards the living room and Mary smiled in reply, "I'll be through shortly." Tom nodded before continuing his path to the living room, leaving Mary to drag her Mother away from the kitchen and the poor unnamed cook.

Mary pushed the swinging door open, leaning in the frame with a raised eyebrow, watching as Cora moved around the kitchen, placing ingredients and equipment on the large counter for the young cook. The poor young girl's shoulders were slumped so low, trying to keep up with the older woman. "Mom?" Mary called out. Mary and her sisters had always called their Mother 'Mom', rather than 'Mum' and 'Mommy' when they were younger. With Cora being American, it was natural for them to pick up the model she used when speaking of herself in front of them. Of course, when referring to her in conversations with another, she was always 'Mother'; just as Robert was always 'Father' in that respect. In fact, Robert much preferred the word 'Father' to 'Dad' and once his children had grown out of calling him 'Daddy' he encouraged it more and more, particularly when in earshot of anyone outside of the immediate family. As a teenager this had annoyed Mary; her Father always was the most old fashioned member of her family... Not including Granny Violet that is; however now, she wasn't so sure. After all, Violet had learnt to text and did try to keep up with the latest fashions.

Cora turned to the sound of Mary's voice and her face immediately broke it into a huge smile, "Mary, dear". She walked towards her eldest daughter and pulled her into a hug. "How are you? I feel like I haven't seen you in so long."

Mary smiled in return "we saw each other last weekend at the wedding."

Cora waved it off with her hand "oh, nonsense. We barely said two words to each other. And before that... Well, I can't even remember the last time you came for dinner. You're always so busy." She ended her sentence with a small frown.

"We'll, I'm here now. So come on, let us leave this nice young girl to her job while we sit with Sybil." She linked arms with her Mother and led her away from the kitchen, "if we're very lucky, she may even tell us more details of her birthing plan" she mocked with a grin.

...

"Mary!" Sybil seemed pleased to see her sister, attempting to push herself out of the corner sofa she'd collapsed into. Mary laughed at her attempt and quickly moved to sit with her to save her from getting up to greet her. "I want to hear all about it" she announced as Mary lowered herself onto the plush cream sofa.

"All about what darling?"

"Your time with Matthew!" Sybil probed, widening her eyes to emphasise exactly just how eager she was to hear about it.

Mary's eyebrows knitted together and she looked around the room to see if _everyone's_ attentions were on her, "well, it's gone well." She told her, shifting on the sofa, knowing she could be heard by her Mother and Tom.

"Oh, Mary. Surely you can say more than that. Edith called me last night and said she'd bumped into you both at the club."

Mary rolled her eyes "Edith did, did she? I dread to think what else Edith said about the matter."

Sybil shook her head, "nothing at all. Only that she saw you and 'some man' at the club." With a small eye roll, she continued, "clearly she knew who he was, but in true Edith fashion, that's how she referred to him. She saw him at the wedding and we all saw the pictures in the press." She heard her sister groan at the mention of the press and being photographed with Matthew. "Relax, we all know its not true this time... The things they are saying. Mom and Dad and even Granny saw you dancing with him, they'd all commented on the 'mysterious blonde', they know you didn't pick him up at a bar."

Mary frowned, lowering her voice as she leaned closer to Sybil "_that's_ what they're saying?" She shouldn't be surprised really, if she'd taken a guess at what the story would be alongside the pictures she would have been pretty close in her estimations. Usually she wouldn't care; be initially annoyed, upset even, but then brush it off and continue about her day. But this was different; it was Matthew. Of course, he knew it wasn't true. But what if he'd read it? What must he think of her, especially in light of her revelation the day before. She remembered him mentioning his Mother warning him off her and she felt her stomach churn nervously.

"You didn't read it?" Sybil's voice brought Mary away from her thoughts and she slowly shook her head. She watched as her older sister blinked slowly, then turned briefly to look over her shoulder, her next question a whisper.

"You said 'this time'; they know its not true this time. Are you trying to tell me that they'd believe it if they hadn't seen us together at the wedding?" Sybil's eyes and pout were sympathetic, giving Mary a small shrug of her shoulders. "Even Mom?"

"No" Sybil whispered back, "I don't think so, not Mom" she reached for her elder sister's hand and squeezed her fingers lightly "and not me" her voice was soft and sweet, "we know you better than that." Mary smiled a small appreciative smile, yet Sybil could see the wheels in her head turning; Mary had always worried. For as long as sybil could remember, she'd always kept her true fears at bay and coaxing anything out of her had been difficult. Sybil had been so pleased to see a small sparkle in Mary's eye when she was questioned about Matthew in her office last week and overjoyed when she'd spoken about how he made her feel. At that moment, Sybil just wished Mary would open up more; Mary had always been such a strong support for her, particularly when their parents disapproved of Tom when she first began to date him. More than anything, she wanted to give the same back to her; to provide Mary with someone to lean on and vent to. "Hey, you should bring him to the house." Sybil's suggestion was almost lost on Mary and the younger sister noted that she'd slipped into her own little world again. "Matthew" she prompted, "bring him to ours one day this week."

Mary bit the inside of her lip lightly "oh Sybil, I don't know."

"Go on, it'll be fun. A double date. Tom can cook and it'll probably be our last chance to do it before the baby arrives. Oh! And you can see the nursery; it's completely finished now."

Mary smiled at her excitement "ok, I'll see what Matthew thinks."

Sybil scoffed, waving the suggestion off with the palm of her hand "just tell him you're coming and he will. All the good ones are like puppies, Mary; he'll do whatever you say, particularly this early on. Besides, it's not like you're dragging him over to Edith's."

Mary laughed "that's something that'll _never_ happen."

-...-...-

Sybil returned her glass to the table, having taken a sip of water, "Tom showed me this book of Irish names and I completely fell in love with some of them."

"Oh wonderful," came Violet's disdain laden voice, "give the poor child a name their family can neither say, nor spell."

Mary lowered her head, smirking a little at her Granny's reply; not particularly for what she said, but just for the way in which she said it. Granny Violet had never been one to bite her tongue or think about what she was about to say. In truth, Mary was simply glad she had so far failed to question her about Matthew and the photos printed of the pair of them; not that she had given her much of a chance to start a conversation with her since she'd arrived. "Granny" she warned lightly across the table, her eyes shining with amusement at the older woman before turning her head to Sybil on her left. "Do give us an example darling" she encouraged.

Sybil looked to Tom briefly; he nodded his approval "we're not using any of them anyway Sybil, you may as well enlighten them." The family pointedly ignore Violet's mutter of 'well thank heavens for that' as every pair of eyes fixed upon Sybil, waiting for her to speak.

Sybil grinned widely, "well, I just adore the name Caoimhe for a girl. I love how simple it sounds, yet how beautifully it's spelt, but-"

Tom took her hand on top of the table, "but then we rethought giving the baby a name that yes, they _would_ have trouble spelling as they grew up."

"So you haven't settled on any names?" Cora enquired, increasingly excited for the impending arrival of her first grandchild.

Sybil shook her head, "I suppose we'll have a better idea when they arrive."

"In my day it wasn't nearly so difficult" Violet exclaimed, "you chose a nice, respectable family name to honour someone dear."

Sybil smiled tightly "and we might do that yet Granny. For a middle name at least." She glanced briefly at Mary, "but it is rather difficult having both a boys name and a girls name ready; Tom's worried that we might end up liking one name over the other and be disappointed when he or she arrives."

Edith placed her knife and fork on her plate, "I don't know how you can _not_ find out what it's going to be. The suspense would be killing me."

"Well, I admire their patience." Robert finally joined the conversation, "we didn't find out with any of you. You'll enjoy the surprise."

"Quite right." Cora agreed, "and when your time comes Edith, you'll be able to make your own decision; you should not criticise your sister's and Tom's choice."

Mary was quick to cut in "her time?" She scoffed a little, "I'm certain Colin is far too old and unable to have more children."

"Mary" Cora scolded quickly, looking towards Edith to observe her reaction to the sisterly type jibe she had come accustomed to hearing from her daughters, particularly between the eldest two.

Edith sat up a little straighter, if that was at all possible; her head high with forced pride. "My husband is indeed _able_ to produce another child, we have simply decided that we'd rather focus our attentions on Imogen and Timothy." Timothy was 4 years younger than Imogen and the siblings lived with Edith and Colin full time due to their Mother's passing the previous year. Edith quickly scanned the faces of her family around the table and noticing the awkward pause in conversation, she looked directly at Mary. "Besides, you're really one to talk. By the time you're ready to settle down... If anyone will have you, you'll most likely be too old yourself." She smirked at her own jibe, predicting in her own mind the expression her sister would wear on her sour face. Only to Edith's surprise, Mary seemed unusually unfazed by the comment; of course she always acted as though she didn't care, but siblings always knew how to hurt each other didn't they. She frowned as Mary simply took a small sip of wine.

"Oh, I don't know" Sybil smiled towards Mary before looking across the table at her sister, "Mary just might surprise you... Sooner rather than later" she lowered her voice towards the end of her statement, so much so that even Mary barely heard what she'd said. Cora looked between Mary and Sybil, noticing the small look her youngest daughter gave to her sister and her eyebrow rose with intrigue.

Immediately after the family moved from the dinning room and back into the living room, Cora gently pulled Sybil to one side, questioning her about the man Mary was seeing.

"Matthew?" Sybil whispered, glancing over her shoulder with a frown; satisfied that Mary seemed to be engrossed in conversation with their father. "I know she likes him."

Cora folded her arms impatiently, "Mary likes a lot of men Sybil. You know something and I want to know too." Sybil laughed a little at her Mother's child-like pout that accompanied her sentence.

"I don't know much." She held out her palm to stop Cora from interrupted her, "only that it's different somehow. She never talks about guys with me, not really and this time, she has- just a little, but she's happy." Sybil smiled at her own words, hoping that something serious came of this new relationship; not because she knew Matthew and that he was good for her sister- as she certainly did not, but because of the way Mary had been lately. If he had this affect after only a week, the possibilities were limitless.

Cora looked over Sybil's shoulder to where Mary was talking with Robert, she smiled a little at how carefree she had seemed throughout the afternoon and over dinner, even after Edith's arrival. She watched silently as Mary glanced towards the large grandfather clock and leaned forward to kiss Robert on the cheek. She quickly averted her eyes and smiled at her youngest daughter, her eyes shining with excitement and even more intrigue than earlier in the evening at dinner.

Cora assisted Sybil in getting comfortable in the large armchair before standing straight and gently smoothing her youngest daughter's hair with affection. Her eyes fell onto Mary again, who appeared to be saying her goodbyes; pressing a small kiss to Violet's cheek. "Leaving so soon dear?" She called across the room.

Mary smiled in reply "I've been here all afternoon Mom, I'm tired and I've got work tomorrow." He reply was honest, yet Mary had also decided that staying for another 10 minutes may involve questions from Granny and she wasn't ready for that yet. Cora nodded, stepping towards her daughter and linking their ams together. "I'll see you next weekend."

"I'll walk you out" Mary offered a quick wave to Sybil and Tom before leaving the living room with her Mother. In the foyer, she reached for her coat, pushing her arms into it before hooking her bag on one shoulder. She leant forward, wrapping both arms loosely around her Mom, pressing a light kiss to her cheek before stepping back. "I want to meet him." Cora suddenly blurted out; her words coming out as though they'd been trapped inside her for days.

Mary's eyes widened with surprise, "excuse me?"

"This man you're seeing. Matthew. Please let me meet him."

Mary patted the older woman's shoulder affectionately. "It's very new Mom, we only just met."

"Sybil seems to think this might be something special."

Mary rolled her eyes "Sybil."

Cora smiled fondly "don't blame your sister; I forced it out of her. Bring him to dinner next week." Her voice was soft and implied suggestion, but Mary knew from experience that it was meant as a request.

"He's visiting his Mother next week in Manchester... Honestly, he is."

"The week after then... Mary."

Mary smirked a little, her arms folded across her chest. She lowered her head before returning her eyes to her mother's, "maybe" was her only word.

Cora beamed "oh Mary."

"I only said 'maybe'. I can't say yes without asking him first... And two weeks is a long time; you know me Mom, he may not even be around by then."

"Oh Mary, don't joke."

Mary shrugged, she knew... She hoped that he would be, but the words that she spoke reminded her of her family's low expectations of her personal commitments.

"You'll bring him to dinner?"

"I'll ask him."

"That's all I ask dear." She smoothed her palm down Mary's arm, her smile warm and affectionate.

"Hopefully Edith will have caught Timothy's flu by then and she'll be unable to attend."

"Oh, stop it you." Cora smiled widely, pulling her daughter in for another hug.

"I'll see you next week Mom."

Cora opened the door and watched Mary walk towards her car, she gave her a small wave "bye darling."

Mary practically fell into her car with an exasperated thud. She glanced back at the front door to check that her Mom had gone back inside and sighed heavily. "Thanks Sybil" she muttered to herself. She dropped her bag onto the passenger seat, pulling her phone out from inside. 3 new messages; one from Anna- work related. Mary scrolled through her query and decided it could wait until the morning. Navigating back to her inbox, Mary noticed that the other two messages were from Sybil and Matthew... Matthew, she smiled. She skipped down passed his and to her sisters; wanting to read his last, no matter how much her stomach flipped at what it may contain; he usually called, he'd never text. She knew he would only have text because he knew she was with her parents, but she couldn't help but smile at the thought of a text from him; reminding her of the days she used to save and keep texts off boys she liked or friends she adored.

Mary's smile widened at the one word text from her sister; _'sorry_', sent only moments ago. She decided to let her sweat it out and not bother with a reply and quickly found the message from Matthew.

_'I've got good news and bad news' _it read,_'the little fair I remember no longer exists, however I've done my research and found the next best thing. There's a travelling fair at Turnham Green, West London and I'm taking you tomorrow evening."_

Mary's eyebrows rose in amusement, typing out a quick reply: _'oh, you are, are you? I thought a chivalrous man like you might have asked me rather than tell me.' _As soon as she'd pressed send, Mary's smirk fell from her lips, hoping Matthew took her message as it was meant and not seriously. She thought about sending him another message or even calling him but before she had chance to make a decision her phone buzzed in her hands.

'_I'll pick you up at 6.30. Wear a jumper x' _Mary's smile returned and noticing the kiss at the end of his text made her want to reply with one of her own; but with nothing to add and not wanting to look ridiculous, Mary placed her phone back into her handbag before turning on her car engine and carefully manoeuvring her car out onto the road; her wide grin failing to leave her lips as she did so.


	17. Chapter 17

_Back again- and much sooner than last time too; I will make it up to you guys._

_As always, thanks so much for your reviews, they give me huge encouragement. A few of you have mentioned the rating... Do you guys want this to go up to an M? It's totally something that I'm willing to do and it may have just happened anyway. Let me know- particularly if you're against it lol._

-.-...-...-

It was unusual for Mary to leave the office so early on a Monday, well really any day, but particularly a Monday after having spent the whole of Sunday away and Saturday afternoon; Mondays were for work, heavy work. This particular Monday had been different though; she'd found it hard to concentrate as well as she usually would.

She'd gone through her messages left from Saturday afternoon, made a few calls, ate lunch while leafing through the magazines left on her desk- the ones with post-it notes sticking out where Anna had indicated there was a review or mention of something regarding the fashion line. She had smirked at the positive reviews and then grimaced, remembering her impending meeting and the fact that she was yet to get to the bottom of the design similarities. She'd sighed and requested Anna bring her the spring line sketches that had long been filled away. There were too many and Mary could barely think straight; the meeting made her think of Matthew and the thought of Matthew made her stomach flutter.

She hadn't seen him since Saturday... Which she knew of course was only the day before yesterday, but she'd come accustomed to seeing him everyday already. This evening he was taking her to a fair- a _fair_; she had no experiences with fairs. The only thing she could draw from were the things she'd seen in the movies- the guy would throw or shoot something at a target and win an enormous and ridiculously unattractive bear and hand it over to his date; of course she'd smile sloppily and lean forward to kiss him like it was the most wonderful thing anyone had ever done for her. Together, they would then walk through the fair hand in hand, completely smitten, with the bear hooked under her free arm. Mary had sighed; surely that's not what it was really like. She knew there would be rides of some sort and crowds of excited children and teenagers, she knew there would be unhealthy snacks, she knew there would be Matthew... Matthew. She smiled, now totally unfocused on her work.

She wondered if he'd be cliche and attempt to win her a large unattractive bear; what on earth would she do with such a monstrosity? He'd surprised her so much so far, by doing... Well so little really. He'd been completely normal, completely at ease and completely adorable. He hadn't tried too hard, yet he _listened_ to her and her wishes- particularly those of wanting to keep a low profile. She leaned back in her large comfy executive chair... He'd done so little, but to her it was so much. She _knew_ he wouldn't embarrass her with cliche prizes; she knew without _really_ knowing, because he was Matthew and Matthew had yet to disappoint. Of course, it was still so early and he was bound to disappoint her eventually, as was she him, but she also knew that if they both continued to be completely themselves around each other (as hard as Mary usually found it) then those disappointments would be both, a long way off, and completely insignificant.

She'd shook her head, sighing heavily; pushing Matthew out of her mind, attempting to work- she'd tried this multiple times over the afternoon and eventually gave up. She left the office before 5 and cursed the traffic repeatedly; non-moving and making her late. Arriving home a few minutes before 6pm meant that she had only 30 minutes before Matthew would arrive. She grimaced at her reflection, quickly stripping and tying her hair into a bun before stepping into the shower to wash the day away. It had been the quickest shower she'd ever taken and had barely let the water spray her face; the was no time to dry her hair, not even just the parts of it that would have become wet if she'd washed her face properly. Instead, she grabbed a face wipe and scrubbed away at her make-up before quickly reapplying a small amount of foundation, blush and mascara.

Mary pulled her hair out of its messy knot and quickly ran a brush through it. Her natural loose curls were far from tamed and she did the best she could with her fingers, knowing that they always appeared wilder immediately after brushing and she still didn't know what she was going to wear. She dropped the towel that she'd been wrapped in on her bedroom floor, not giving a second thought to the mess she was leaving in a trail behind her as she paced towards her large closet.

She paused when wriggling into her tight black jeans, looking down at her selected underwear. Underwear she'd given _no_ thought to whatsoever. Her teeth grazed her lip as she wondered if she even _needed_ to be carefully choosing her under garments at this stage. It really wasn't something she'd thought about. Of course, her body had reacted very positively to Matthews kisses and in those moments she'd given brief thought in ridding herself of said garments, but never had she thought about her appearance in them when readying herself for him. Mary shook her head, pulling her jeans up the rest of the way; she really had no time to think about things like this when Matthew was surely on his way. She buttoned her jeans and pushed her feet into a pair of flats while reaching onto a shelf for a black vest.

It was that moment when she lowered herself from her tip-toes with the vest in her hands that she heard the doorbell. She groaned, knowing without looking that it wasn't because he was early that she wasn't ready, but because she was late, _stupid_ traffic she thought while grabbing a cream coloured cricket style jumper from a hanger and leaving her bedroom with neither the jumper nor the vest yet on her body. Her bedroom was on the third floor of her four story town house and she refused to be one of those girls who kept their date waiting for too long on their doorstep; not only was it completely rude, but also terribly selfish. Of course, she hadn't _always_ thought that way; her Granny always told her to leave them waiting at least a few minutes...'to keep them on their toes' she had said. That was the dating game, but this wasn't a game; not with Matthew. She'd barely made it onto the landing outside her bedroom when she groaned, remembering that she hadn't sprayed any perfume and quickly rushed back to her dressing table to do just that.

She raced down the first flight of stairs and towards the second before slipping her head into her black vest and then continued to push her arms through and pull the flimsy fabric over her torso as she descended the second flight of stairs. The doorbell rang again, followed quickly by a brief knock on the door. Mary blew her hair away from her face, came to an abrupt stop in front of the dark wooden door and inhaled deeply. She reached for the doorknob as she exhaled slowly before pulling open her front door to reveal Matthew.

"Hey" she greeted with a small, exasperated smile, stepping aside for him to enter.

Matthew grinned, taking in her appearance as she closed the door behind them. "You're not wearing a jumper" he said simply, reminding her of his text the previous day. His eyes lingered on the strip of skin that remained uncovered between the top of her jeans and the bottom of her vest. Mary followed his eye-line and her eyebrow raised in amusement. She held up the cricket jumper that hung loosely in her hand by her side. "Ah" he nodded.

"Sorry" she smiled, "I hate that I'm not completely ready, but I only got home half an hour ago."  
She appeared to be just about to dress herself in the jumper where they stood, but Matthew quickly stepped forward to place a sweet, lingering kiss on the corner of her mouth, his hand resting conveniently on her waist and the small strip of bare skin. His fingers lingered longer than his lips and Mary almost shivered as they brushed across her before he pulled away. He smiled shyly, "you look lovely."

Mary's returning smile was appreciative and she quickly pulled the jumper over her head, sliding her arms into the oversized wool before pulling her hair from the back of it. "There," she told him brightly, "all ready."

Matthews's lips curved slightly "you're sure?"

She looked around herself at nothing really, looked down at her outfit, noticing that yes, she did remember her shoes and nodded. "I just need by handbag, which I left right there" she gestured towards the small table beside the door. Matthew smiled silently, his hands pushed into the pockets of his beige trousers. Mary looked around herself again, "I would offer you a tour" she said almost pathetically, "but I'm not sure there's time?"

Mathews smile turned into more of a grin, "you're still cooking one day this week right?" She nodded quickly, "you can give me the tour then." His suggestion was sweet-sounding and she found herself wanting to step towards him and press her lips to his for no reason whatsoever. "I hope you don't mind too much, but I didn't drive. I think I've mentioned this before, but I hate London traffic, particularly in rush hour and I'm afraid it's still chaos out there."

Mary inwardly groaned, remembering that it was that chaos that made her late in the first place. "Are we..." She spoke slowly and carefully, not sure if she was supposed to ask _how_ they were travelling, if he expected her to know? If she should offer to drive instead? But Matthew was quick to let her know.

"We'll take the underground... If that's ok?" He checked, noticing how her face almost twitched at the suggestion.

"The tube? Well, yes. That's fine." She frowned. "I've never taken the tube before."

Matthew laughed a little; not because he thought she was joking and not because she sounded ridiculous but just because of the innocent and slightly naive doe eyed expression that came with her confession. "Well you're perfectly safe with me Lady Mary, for I have taken the tube numerous times and know exactly which route to take."

If it had been anyone else who'd used her title after a confession like that she might have accused them of calling her stuck-up, spoilt or any of the other names she was often called as a teenager. But not Matthew, she new that the choice to use her title wasn't meant to hurt, annoy or accuse; in fact he'd used her title almost every time they'd met, no matter how many times she'd corrected him at the beginning. If they'd been dating longer, she'd almost consider it a term of endearment, but it was far too early for that. Still, the way in which the words 'Lady Mary' slipped from his lips was something she'd never encountered before Matthew; his voice smooth and low, sensual almost; his eyes sparkling; his mouth curved. She wasn't sure whether it was sweet, adorable, sexy or all of the above, but she definitely knew she liked it.

-...-...-

_Ok, so that didn't actually include their date and they haven't even left for the fair yet, but Mary's day; her thoughts and getting ready kind of spilled words that I didn't know it would create lol. I guess I could have carried on and included the date as I was originally going to, but it's getting late and I wouldn't be able to finish that tonight- after the long wait last time, I had to give you guys something._

_I'll try to get some more written in the next few days. Please review._


	18. Chapter 18

_Thanks for the reviews guys. I love that you're all still reading and enjoying. Gonna try to find some time to reply to some of the reviews at some point, but for now, please know that I do appreciate each and every one._

_oh and thanks for your response regarding the M rating. I'm not sure how detailed ill go with any of that yet, im taking your advice and seeing what happens._

-...-...

Mary was pretty sure she'd never experienced crowds of people like it; apparently rush hour for the underground too. She felt crushed, the oxygen levels were low; the only thing that could possibly make this worse would be if the strangers around her held flashing cameras. Until now paparazzi was the only thing that had made her feel this claustrophobic. Instinctively Mary felt as though she wanted to hide. She lowered her head as she stood on the moving tube, holding tightly onto Matthews's waist so that she didn't fall while he held onto the railings above. If she had a pair of sunglasses in her bag she knew she would have naturally grabbed them to hide herself from the crowds of people, but glancing quickly around the busy and smelly train she realised that they were getting on with their own business; reading the paper, taking a nap, listening to music. Mary mentally kicked herself for her paranoia and heard Edith's voice in her head 'it's not always about _you_ Mary'.

"This is our stop" she heard Matthew say.

Mary looked up at him quickly, wondering how they were going to get off such a crowded train. "We're here?" She asked hopefully.

Matthew shook his head, "not yet. We've got a few more changes to make." As the train came to a quick stop, Matthew took her hand and pushed through the crowds of people to the door. Once safely on the platform, he released her and it was only then that Mary registered what he'd done. Of course, he'd took her hand so he didn't loose her, so that she was able to stay close by. But as Mary followed him to the escalator she found herself gazing down at his large hand, trying to remember what it felt like; a touch far too short.

As it turned out the first tube they took had been the busiest and they even found seats on one of them. Mary surprised herself how she'd got used to getting on and off so quickly; she'd almost gasped aloud, observing one young girl almost getting trapped in the door, running on just as the doors began to close; surely nobody could be in _that_ much of a hurry.

The walk from the station to the park where the fair was being held was a pleasant one; the air was still warm from the spring sun even though it was now well into evening. "I hope the journey hasn't been too traumatic for you" Matthew smiled, "we're almost there."

Mary shook her head, her smile dismissing his comment "I'm enjoying the walk" she told him.

Matthew nodded "I can drive you home if you like. My flat isn't too far away, we'd only need to catch one tube." Mary smiled silently, wondering if she'd been so obvious over her dislike for the underground. She supposed it was something one would have to get used to; it really was only the first one that was so terrible. "How was your day with your family yesterday?" His voice got her attention again and she turned her head as they walked.

"Surprisingly ok actually. I was expecting the Spanish Inquisition over those pictures of us, but I managed to avoid the subject perfectly, if I do say so myself."

"Oh" Matthew nodded, he wondered what she meant by that; avoiding the subject. Was he a subject that she felt she needed to avoid? To hide from her family? Or was it simply the pictures and the suggestions the captions made that made it a subject she'd rather avoid...

His thoughts were quickly interrupted by her voice, "they all want to meet you by the way."

"Oh?" This time he turned to her, clearly surprised.

Mary blushed and Matthew couldn't help but smile at how adorable she looked. "Well, Sybil and Tom, her husband, wish to have us both for dinner sometime soon. This week apparently." She reached out to touch his arm lightly, "but don't worry, I didn't... I wouldn't commit you to anything. I just said I'd mention it. We don't have to go at all. And my mother," Mary was bordering on rambling now, but Matthew continued to smile softly as she spoke, "well, I think that was Sybil's fault too. I not sure exactly what she said to her, but she wants to meet you. I think it'll be easier to put her off a while. She wanted me to take you next week, but I told her that-"

"Mary" Matthew almost laughed. She came to an abrupt stop and her blush deepened, realising how much she must have been going on about it. "I won't lie to you and say I wouldn't be intimidated by meeting your family... Your parents, especially in a 'family dinner' environment, but I'm happy to if you are. And Sybil? We can do that, definitely." Matthew knew how close Mary was to her youngest sister and had met her briefly at the wedding; dinner with her and her husband didn't seem like such a huge deal.

"Really?" Mary asked, her blush now starting to settle.

"Really" he confirmed, reaching for and taking her hand within his. Mary glanced down at their joined hands and a smile lit from within her. She took a side step towards him as their clasped hands hung naturally between them. "Any day" he told her, squeezing her hand lightly.

"Hmm. I might have to plan this carefully" Mary grinned, "remember I'm cooking for you one evening this week; I don't want my sister's husband putting me to shame." She laughed lightly and Matthew joined her as they turned a corner; the park and the fair now visible.

The closer they got, the louder the noises became; teenagers' excited shouts, screams from the tops of the fair rides, loud music... Mary soon smelt the grease coming from a nearby burger van which only added the the unfamiliar fair atmosphere. "I know I told you earlier that I wanted you to show me a proper fair experience, but if you think you're getting me on one of those" she pointed above and beyond them at a spinning contraption in the sky, "then you really have gotten me all wrong."

Matthew laughed, his gaze following her pointed finger and quickly shook his head, "maybe if we were 16." Still with her hand in his, Matthew weaved them around a crowd of young mums with pushchairs stood talking while their young children and toddlers pulled at helium balloons tied to the metal frames. Mary frowned, wondering how young the girls were; certain she'd never seen so many teenage mothers in one place before. "Hungry?" Matthew asked as they passed a large van serving burgers, hot dogs, chips and drinks.

Mary shook her head a little, "not yet." She was a little distracted by the many things going on around her. "What's that?" She asked as they neared a rounded stall with novelty prizes hanging from the top.

Matthew chuckled a little, "hook-a-duck" he pulled her in that direction. "Very simple really, you have to-"

"Hook a duck?"

Matthew grinned "exactly." He pointed to a little girl with blonde pigtails jumping up and down with a 'yayyy' at the stall. "Now will her parents be the suckers who allow her the fish or will they be- ah. Fish" he laughed. "They'll be visiting the pet store sometime next week to replace it."

Mary frowned. "I don't know why any little girl would choose a goldfish over a sparkly pink cowgirl hat or a pair of heart shaped glasses."

Matthew laughed, mockingly pulling her towards the stall "fancy a try? You can have the hat, as long as you wear it."

Mary quickly tightened her hand in his, pulling him back to was her; her feet planted firmly on the pavement. "Matthew!" She laughed. "No, Matthew!" She slipped her fingers from his and he quickly stepped back towards her, grasping her waist. If the situation wasn't so amusing, Mary would have jumped and gasped at the sudden contact, but instead she continued to laugh, pushing him backwards with her palms on his chest.

"Ok, ok." Matthew laughed, wrapping an arm around her waist. "No fish or hats or glasses." They began to walk. "But this, you've got to have a go. I would have failed you in showing you the fair at its best without this." He lead her to a long wooden bench, quickly pulling out money from his pocket "2 please" he politely requested to the man on the other side.

Mary was handed a set of 3 darts. She closed her hand around them, smiling up at the man before turning to Matthew who also had a set of his own. "All you have to do is hit it; any colour." he told her. Mary glanced around at the many soft toys hanging on and around the stall. Remembering her earlier thoughts about embarrassing and silly fair cliches she held back her amused laugh. Mary eyed the dart boards a few metres away. "It's harder than it looks" he told her, stepping closer. "Practically impossible really. The darks are terrible and weighted in a way that sets you up to fail" he took a step away and quickly aimed. Mary laughed at his miss and he turned to her with a grin "see." He tried again and failed miserably. "Your turn" he told the giggling Mary.

Mary shrugged, "ok". She raised her arm and squinted to aim before quickly turning to Matthew. "You might want to step a little further away. I've never done this before" Matthew nodded with amusement and took a large step back. Mary threw two darts with no success before turning to Matthew. She gestured to his final dart and he stepped forward, throwing it and almost hitting the board.

"Almost" the man interrupted them. "Fancy another try?" Matthew shook his head, brushing a gentle hand down Mary's back, prompting her to take her last dart so that they could move on. She raised his eyebrows at the close proximity and he dramatically took a step back as she aimed; again with a squint of her eyes. This time, it hit the board and Mary released a short girlish squeal. "A winner!" The man announced with far too much enthusiasm.

Matthew touched Mary's arm, smiling down at her "well done! You're playing next time we're in the pub- and you're on my team." He added.

Mary laughed "I'd say that was more luck than skill Matthew" she informed him, suddenly aware that a small pink stuffed bunny had been thrust into her hands. "Oh." She looked down at the unsymmetrical face of the bunny and its not-so-soft fur. "I don't know much about fairs, but I'm pretty sure that the rules state I'm supposed to do this." She extended her arm, presenting Matthew with the bunny.

Matthew's laugh was light and playful "you keep it."

"No" Mary insisted, "you're my date. I won it, you have to take it and you have to be pleased about it." Her eyes were shinning with humour as Matthew gently took the toy from her, pushing it into his jacket pocket. "Careful you don't suffocate it Matthew." He grinned, arranging the bunny so that its head was poking out of the top.

"Happy?"

"Quite"

He nodded, offering her his hand and she took hold of it gladly. Glancing down at the pink flopping ears that bounced as they walked. She giggled a little, "floppy seems quite happy too." Her tone was teasing and Matthew only found her even more endearing than he had before. He had worried for a short moment what he'd do if he won a prize; Mary not striking him as the type to appreciate him handing it over to her. He hadn't wanted to seem too cheesy or desperate to impress. Not only was he glad that he hadn't actually won, but also pleased with her gesture and the teasing that followed- even if it did mean that he was now stuck carrying a pink bunny for the rest of the night.

They continued to walk through the fair for the next hour and a half, passing stalls and rides two or three times before Matthew convinced her to try the bumper cars. She'd asked if they could fit in one together, but he assured her that it was impossible unless they were the size of 10 year olds. Once inside the cars, Mary narrowed her eyes at him; her eyebrows raised, gesturing first to herself them to him. He grinned that fabulous grin that she'd found herself daydreaming about at work and then before she knew it there was a loud siren noise and the cars around her began to move. Mary quickly found out how to manoeuvre the rounded 'car' and set on her quest to find Matthew. She jumped up in her seat as someone bumped the back of her. She spun round with a grin, expecting to see Matthew but found two giggling boys. She found Matthew to her right, laughing at her and she quickly drove into him.

Luckily, the bumper cars only lasted for 5 minutes, any longer and they might have been leaving with injuries. With Matthew's arm securely around her waist, Mary smiled and laughed happily, her head lightly on his shoulder as they wandered towards a food van. They strolled from the fair and through the park eating cones of chips before settling on a bench to share a bag of small doughnuts. The sound of the fair now faint in the distance. Mary licked sugar from her fingers and turned down the offer of a third doughnut.

Matthew folded the final doughnut up in the paper bag and placed it on the bench beside him before tightening his arm around Mary's shoulders. She turned to him with a smile, swinging her legs across his and reaching for him with her hands. Matthew quickly obliged, leaning forward to capture her lips in his.

The kiss was slow and almost lazy as Mary's fingers teased his jaw. Matthew grinned when she captured his bottom lip between her teeth lightly before pulling away a fraction for much needed oxygen. Matthew dropped a sweet kiss onto her nose and Mary ran her fingers down his neck and across his shoulder before finding his jaw again, missing his skin under hers. "Mmm" Mary murmured, completely content in his arms; a feeling quite novel to her considering her past experiences. "You said you live quite close by?" She asked him. He nodded. "Let's take a walk." She didn't have to say anymore and the pair of them stood from the bench, Matthew's hand claiming hers once more as they began to stroll out of the park.

During their walk, Mary asked Matthew if there were any foods he completely detested and decided that Wednesday would be the night she cooked for him- Sybil's plans would have to work around them or not at all; she had a choice of Tuesday or Thursday because Matthew would be driving up to Manchester on Friday. Matthew assured Mary that she needn't put too much effort in and that he would eat pretty much anything. Mary smiled at him appreciatively, but secretly began to plan the menu in her head and make a mental shopping list.

The night air was cool, but surprisingly not too cold and Mary was comfortable walking without her coat during the 20 minutes it took them. Matthew started to slow their already slow pace and came to a stop. Mary frowned, her expression asking him why. "I... Er... I live" he gestured towards the building on their left and then nodded towards his car parked alongside the road. "Would you like me to drive you home?"

Mary smiled, stepping closer towards him, murmuring a soft "hmm" before capturing his lips in hers for the second time that evening. His lips tasted like sugar doughnuts and she found herself wanted to kiss and lick it all away so that she could taste _him _and only him. His hands grasped her waist and tightened as the kiss gradually grew deeper and Mary's fingers ran across his scalp. Soon enough, his crept under the hem of her cricket jumper and grazed the bare strip of skin he'd admired earlier in the evening. She groaned at his touch; the noise quickly swallowed by Matthews's hungry kiss. She felt her back collide with his car and her leg instinctively wrapped around his calf to pull him closer.

Mary gasped for breath as Matthew showered her chin and jaw with feather-like kisses and then cursed herself for not taking the time to choose her underwear like she'd contemplated quickly when getting dressed. His kisses completely distracting, Mary tried her best to remember what she was wearing under her clothes but soon gave up when his mouth found hers again. "Mary" he hummed against her.

"Hmm?"

"Do you want to-?"

"Mmm-hmm" she anticipated his question- they both knew where this was likely to lead.

"-come inside?"

"Yes"

Matthew dragged his mouth and hands away from her for long enough to find his keys in his pocket. Looking and feeling a little nervous, he nodded towards the door and Mary followed him up the steps. She quickly found her phone in her bag, looking at the display for just a moment- completely having lost track of time and noting how it was later than she thought. She ignored the messages and pushed it into her back pocket in just enough time to follow Matthew inside the main door and then through the second door into his ground floor flat.

Matthew told himself that he should have given her time to put her bag down. He should offer her a drink, but their mouths were already joined and her hands had quickly found their place in his hair- a sensation he was quickly learning that he enjoyed.

Mary wondered how a person's lips could be so soothing yet ignite so much passion all at once. Ringing. She heard ringing. She felt, rather than heard, the groan that escaped his mouth and his fingers were on her bare waist again- tenderly stroking, teasingly exploring. She still heard ringing and felt... Vibrating. She could barely make sense of anything else other than him and his lips and hands on her. She felt his hands move from her waist and down past her hips. Feeling his hands on her bottom, she hooked her fingers behind his neck and held him close. Matthew slid one hand into her back pocket and quickly pulled away from her; his breath heavy and rough.

Mary's eyebrows knitted together in a frown, her swollen lips parted in confusion. Matthew held the ringing phone he'd reluctantly pulled from her pocket and only then did she make the connection. She sighed "I'm not answ-" her expression expression changed and she quickly accepted the call. "Tom?"

"Yeah, hi, Mary. It's happening. Now. The baby. Hospital. Sybil's asking-"

Mary pressed her palm to her forehead, "you're at the hospital?" Matthew suddenly stood straight, concern beginning to take over.

"On our way. Cora's coming, she wants you."

"Okay. I'm on my way." She hung up the phone and looked up at Matthew slowly. "Sybil's gone into labor. I need to." She held up her phone apologetically. "Sorry."

Matthew shook his head. "I'll take you." Without words she thanked him; her hand lightly grazing his chest, a small smile at her lips. Matthew stepped away, grabbing the keys he'd carelessly dropped on the floor as they entered and she followed him back onto the street and towards his car. It occurred to her that Matthew may just end up meeting her mother much sooner than desired after all.


	19. Chapter 19

_Back so soon! This part is rather short though._

_Thanks again, as ever, for reading and reviewing. I hope this update in the story satisfies your need/wish for more and prompt even more great reviews that I love to read. They do out a smile on my face._

_I'll be back with more soon, I promise._

...-...-...-...-

It hadn't taken them long to get to the hospital. Once in the car, Mary realised she didn't know which hospital they were taking her sister to and quickly text Tom; it turned out to be the hospital closest to Matthew's flat. There was no surprise there really when Sybil and Tom lived only a little further away.

Matthew parked the car and quickly followed a hurried Mary to the maternity ward. He wasn't exactly sure if he was supposed to follow her or go home, but in the moment staying with her seemed the more natural thing to do, so that's what he did.

"Sybil!" Mary called, noticing her sister being wheeled in a chair into one of the rooms with Tom at her side. Sybil and Tom both turned in her direction and the nurse pushing the chair came to a stop. "I came as quickly as I could. How are you?" She took hold of her little sister's hand as soon as she reached her.

Sybil smiled softly. Dressed in her pyjamas, she looked comfortable despite the large swell of her stomach. "Fine. The contractions started not too long ago. Tom didn't want to wait." Mary smiled up at Tom appreciatively and Sybil noticed Matthew standing behind her sibling. "Evening Matthew" she rose an eyebrow in such a way that reminded him of Mary a little.

He smiled awkwardly. "Hi. I.. We were on a date."

Mary turned briefly to Matthew before looking back down at her sister in the chair. "I didn't have my car."

"Thanks for coming" Sybil squeezed Mary's hand a little.

"Of course."

The nurse cleared her throat a little and Mary let go of her sister's hand. Tom patted Mary's shoulder gently, "they're going to examine her, see how far along things are. I'll keep you updated."

Mary smiled and within seconds the nurse, Sybil and Tom disappeared and the door closed behind them. Matthew followed Mary to a row of plastic seats and lowered himself into the one beside her. He touched her hand lightly and she responded by hooking her fingers through his silently before turning to look at him with a small smile on her lips.

"Are you ok?" He asked her.

She nodded. "I've never been very patient; I hate waiting. Time goes so... Slow." Matthew nodded and they were silent again for a few moments before she spoke again, "it's so lovely that you're here Matthew, but I don't expect you to stay. My Mom will be here soon I should think, Tom said she was on her way."

Matthew nodded slowly, briefly wondering if that was her way of getting rid of him before the rest of her family arrived but only had to see her small smile and the warmth in her eyes to know she was merely letting him know nothing was expected of him. "I'll wait until someone's here to keep you company. It's not like I have any other plans." He laughed a short laugh and Mary turned in her seat slightly, removing her hand from his and placing her palm tenderly on the side of his face.

"I'm sorry." Her voice was sincere and her thumb moved across his jaw lightly. "We were very rudely interrupted."

His hand captured hers, moving it from his cheek to his mouth, lightly brushing his lips across her fingers. "Another time" he murmured quietly.

"Mary!" She heard her name and instantly recognised the voice, jumping in surprise, having been slowly loosing herself in the depth of his eyes. He released her hand and she stood up quickly.

"Mom, she's fine." Mary spoke as she stepped towards Cora, accepting the light kiss she placed on her check. "They're just checking her over now. It doesn't seem like she's very far along in the whole... process."

Cora nodded, reaching out to push a stray curl behind her daughter's ear "Edith will be here in the morning or as soon as she is needed; we are to keep her updated. Timothy is still running a fever." Mary refrained from rolling her eyes; it really was admirable that Edith had taken on two children as her own, that she could admit. But still, they had a father and they needed their father. It had only been a little over a year since their mother died and they moved in with Edith and Colin permanently. Mary remembered Edith moaning constantly about how much Imogen, in particular, was indifferent towards her and since then she had certainly asserted and forced unnatural motherly instincts upon them. Mary had no evidence to confirm or deny if there had been true mutual bonds formed with Colin's children and her sister, but she just _knew_ that it couldn't be the perfect family portrait Edith liked to portray.

Mary noticed the way her mother was _trying_ not to look at the man sat behind them on the plastic chairs; the man she knew she'd been observed in embrace with. The gleam in Cora's eyes told Mary that curiosity was beginning to get the better of her and Mary quickly glanced behind her, noticing how nervously uncomfortable he seemed; his elbows resting on his open legs, his fidgeting fingers hung between them, his head lowered. "I see you're not alone." Her opening was far from discreet and Mary sighed.

"Mom, now is hardly the time for 20 questions" Mary whispered. "I was on a date- yes a date" she repeated when she noticed her mother's eyebrows raise in excitement, "Tom called and he drove me here. He's not staying." Her answer to her Mom's predicted, unasked questions was short and to the point but it didn't stop Cora from grinning.

"Introduce me"

"Mom"

"Mary"

Mary groaned, turning around slowly but then immediately smiling at Matthew as his eyes met hers and he stood nervously. She moved to stand by him and she felt his hand lightly brush against hers and had to remind herself not to capture it with her fingers... Not in front of her Mom, not yet. "Matthew" her voice was surprisingly still smooth in texture despite her uneasiness as she looked up at him through her dark charcoal lashes. "This," she extended her palm to her mother, "is my Mom..." She stumbled on her words, unsure of how she should introduce her. Of course, to introduce her properly, she'd be Lady Grantham and if she were around her father she knew she'd had succumbed to the pressure of introducing her as such, but it didn't feel right and she knew her Mom was far less traditional about these things.

Luckily, Cora stepped forward enthusiastically, offering her hand to Matthew with her own introduction, "...Cora." Her smile was sweet and welcoming and Matthew knew this was permission for him to call her by her Christian name.

He took her hand gently between his and squeezed it lightly, "Cora." He nodded. "It's a pleasure to meet you." He released her hand and Cora took a small step back, looking from Mary to Matthew and back to Mary again, making a mental note of how they looked together.

"I've been asking Mary to bring you to dinner" she smiled.

"Mom" Mary sighed, "you asked me once."

Matthew nodded once "and Mary did mention it" he backed her up and she smiled up at him appreciatively, now brushing her fingers against his palm purposefully. "I'll try to make it sometime. Or maybe we can simply meet for lunch one day. I'll leave it to Mary to decide what's best. Anyway" he cleared his throat, "I mustn't impose on this family occasion much longer. I only intended to stay with Mary until company arrived."

Leaving so soon? Despite the surroundings, Cora felt the meeting was coming to an end all too soon- she had questions. She wanted to know this Matthew. "Oh, there's no need to-"

Mary stepped forward, interrupting her mother "I'll walk you to the exit." She would have much rather walked him to his car, been able to thank him properly with a kiss, but didn't want to miss any news regarding Sybil.

Matthew nodded politely down to Cora, "until next time then." His small smile directed at the older woman assured her that, yes, she would be meeting this man again. She simply smiled in return and moved to sit in a vacant chair.

Mary walked a step in front of Matthew until they reached the doors. They turned to face each other and Mary quickly glanced back in her mother's direction, noting that while they were still visible to her, she had quickly adverted her eyes. "Thank you for the lift, Matthew."

He shrugged a little "of course. I hope it's ... quick for Sybil. I've heard it can be quite painful." Mary laughed lightly, folding her arms across her body. "I'll see you on Wednesday?"

Mary nodded "Wednesday." And before she had chance to acknowledge that he'd leaned in, his lips captured hers in a soft parting kiss. Her eyes fell shut instinctively and her fingers lightly brushed against his jaw. He pulled back just slightly, his breath still on her lips, her fingers still on his skin "maybe before" she whispered into his mouth.

Matthew smiled, stepping back a little further, her hand dropping down from his face, "maybe before" he smiled in confirmation. With anther singular nod, he walked away and out of the sliding doors. Mary watched him leave briefly, knowing without having to look that her mother's eyes were on her. She inhaled deeply and hoped that she wasn't blushing when she casually turned and made her way back to the row of plastic seats, sitting beside her.

She looked directly ahead, feeling her mother's eyes on the side of her face, sensing her wide grin. "Don't" she simply told her.

In a way that might have seemed patronising to anyone who didn't know her, Cora leaned forward, gently patting Mary's clasped hands, "no need to be embarrassed dear, he's quite the catch it seems."

...-...-...

Only an hour after Matthew returned home and as he was readying himself for bed, his phone pinged and buzzed on his bedside table. Dressed in only a pair of boxers, he lowered himself to his bed and opened the message from Mary. _'False alarm. Braxton hicks apparently, Sybil is not impressed and ultimately embarrassed that she didn't recognise them herself. She's insisting we go for dinner at hers tomorrow night, worried that she'll go into real labor before she gets the chance. What is it with my family and their determination to meet you so soon!? I hope you weren't too disappointed earlier xxx'_

_'Lady Mary, you could never disappoint me _(Matthew grinned as he typed the blatant flirtation). _Poor Sybil. I suppose we will see each other before Wednesday after all, I'm looking forward to it xx'_

The ping of her reply came quickly- _'Well I'm disappointed, even more so now I know the interruption could have been avoided x'_

Matthew grinned _'We can soon make up for lost time xx'_

_'We can and we will. I'll see you tomorrow, goodnight Matthew xxx'_

_'Goodnight Mary xx' _And much like Mary, settling into her own bed, Matthew fell asleep with a smile in his face.


	20. Chapter 20

_This part was supposed to have so much more to it! Usually when I start to write the basics of what will happen and just write, letting the characters take me whoever they go. This time, they took me too far and I just had to stop or it would be ridiculously long! Hopefully I'll write the next part (what would be the rest of this in theory) soon, but I imagine it won't be until the weekend- I really shouldn't have written this now, I've got so much I SHOULD be doing._

_I got notified today that I was nominated for a highclere award. Well, I'd never heard of such a thing- but I have now and thank you so much to whoever that was. As always, I appreciate your reviews so much and thank you for them. I love that people say its one of their favourite stories (I bet you say that to everyone lol) and I'm glad you're all still interested._

_There's a little bit in here especially for purpleshipper after the review about the battle of text kisses and can I just say... luvgoround- I'm certain it wasn't meant as such but your review read totally dirty to me lol._

_Anyway, here's the next bit._

-...-...-...-

"Mmmm. What a wonderful smelling kitchen!" Sybil exclaimed as she approached where Tom was stood at the oven.

Tom continued to stir the contents of the pan slowly without looking up at his wife, "well it ought to be after you made me change what we were having at the last minute."

Sybil reached up to touch the base of his neck tenderly; only then did he turn to face her. She shrugged "I didn't fancy lasagne. And who doesn't like a vegetable risotto? Mmm, it really does smell great. Can I taste?"

Tom lifted the wooden spoon, blowing gently on the end and testing the temperature on his lip before holding it out for her. With her lips around the end of the large spoon, Sybil moaned appreciatively. "People who don't like rice? Vegetables?" He asked her.

She waved the suggestion off with her hand. "Everyone likes rice and everyone needs vegetables. Mary likes a good risotto and I tell you what Mr Branson- that is beautiful."

Tom smiled "thanks. Done a salad too. Did you have a nice soak?" He asked, leaving the spoon in the pan and turning to place his palm on her large stomach covered by her pale pink bathrobe.

"Devine. I really should go get ready, I told her to be here for 7." Sybil eyed the round table in the centre of the kitchen. "Do you think we should set the table properly? Maybe put a candle out?" She chewed on the corner of her mouth, leaning back against the kitchen counter.

"Sybil" Tom sighed.

"Hmm?"

"Mary cannot be your new project."

Without looking away from the table, still wondering if she should have picked up another bottle of wine from the supermarket just in case, Sybil shook her head "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I know you're bored and I know you're fed up of waiting for the baby to arrive. You're not working and the nursery was finished last week. There's nothing around the house for you to do, so now you've decided to play matchmaker."

Sybil scoffed "I am doing no such thing. I have had nothing to do with Mary meeting Matthew."

"No, but ..." He sighed deeply, knowing he wouldn't be able to find the right words without angering her. "Just try not to interfere too much ok babe? Mary's a big girl."

"I know. It's just so exciting! I know she hasn't known him long- she's told me that multiple times, but a girl knows things. A _sister_ knows things and I think this is going to be good for her. I don't want her to mess it up, I just want her to be happy."

Tom placed his hands on each of her shoulders gently as he stood in front of her "she won't mess it up, not if it's right."

"Pretty sure I know my sister more than you. I have experience with these things."

"When was the last time she let you meet a guy she was dating?" Tom asked, already knowing the answer.

Sybil frowned, "well none- not willingly."

"My point exactly." He kissed her forehead quickly "just leave them be Syb. Let's enjoy this evening; you'll meet him, we'll all chat, you can show Mary the nursery and there will be _no_ interfering. Ok?"

Sybil smiled, leaning up to kiss her husband softly. "Ok" she breathed. "I'll be good. I promise... Well, I promise to try." Tom shook his head slowly and Sybil laughed as she lightly and playfully slapped his chest "I'm going to get ready. You stir that before it burns."

...-...-

"Dad" Mary spoke impatiently into the phone, sat at her dressing table, "Lady Mary is mine and mine alone- I'm handling it."

"Mary, stop being so stubborn. You know I am simply trying to help." Mary half listened as she tilted her head back a little for a better angle in the mirror as she applied mascara. "I know you've dealt with legal troubles in the past but nothing like this. I am offering to be there as your father- someone who has business experience. Do you know how many times people have tried to sue me!?"

"Oh well that's a fantastic selling point father." She moved onto her other eye.

"My point is that not one of them have succeeded. It's a cut throat world Mary and you're yet to learn many things." She rolled her eyes at her father's voice. If she wasn't concentrating on readying herself for Matthew then she might have had more answers for him. "Just tell me what time the meeting is. I'll sit at the back if need be... Observe if you like."

"You don't know how to simply observe." She trapped her phone between her ear and shoulder, twisting the mascara wand back in place. "Dad, listen. I am perfectly capable. I not the same girl who allowed your help in cutting deals with the best designers we could find. I was young- I suppose I needed the support, but now I don't. I know I don't and you should trust me as a daughter and as a successful woman to know when I do and do not need my father's help."

Her voice was surprisingly calm, Rob noticed. To say that he was shocked when he'd heard earlier in the day that his daughter's fashion line was being accused of stealing designs would be an understatement. Especially considering Mary had been home for dinner only days before and had failed to mention her legal troubles. "Ok, ok" he sighed. "Please just let me talk to Simon Barnes- you still use him don't you? Work hours are over with. If you could give me his contact details, I'll have a chat with him and check everything is in order."

Now concentrating on applying her lipstick, Mary was silent. "Mary. I'm just trying to look out for you, you must understand that."

Mary dropped her lipstick into the clutch bag waiting on her dressing table "I decided not to use Barnes this time. Simon always did creep me out."

"But Mary, he's the best!"

If Rob could see his daughter, he'd know that her eyebrow had raised as she replied "in your opinion, but certainly not mine."

Robert sighed. "Okay Mary, who are you using?" He grabbed a pen and hovered his hand over a piece of paper, expected to be given details of contact.

"Crawley and associates."

Robert sighed an exasperated sigh and dropped the pen onto his desk "really Mary! I do hope you do not mean you intend to represent yourself. You are not qualified to do as such."

If Mary hadn't been so annoyed with him she might have laughed. She pushed her fingers through the roots of her hair, attempting to give her curls more volume. "It's a new firm dad, started by Matthew Crawley. The surname is just coincidence. He's... They're great" she corrected herself.

"I hope you researched them. New firms aren't the best idea, particularly when so much is at stake. This Matthew might be good, but-" the penny dropped. "Oh Mary..." He sighed. "Please tell me he's not the same Matthew I hear that you are 'seeing'."

Mary stood from the chair, her phone back between her ear and shoulder as she applied perfume. "If I told you that I'd be lying."

"You stupid, stupid girl. Mixing business and pleasure-"

"Hey!" Mary was quick to cut him off this time. Partly because she didn't want to hear what she knew he was going to say and partly because she was ready and needed to leave. "I know it's probably not ideal. Certainly not on paper anyway, but it's working for us. Now please, I'm on my way out and I need to hang up this phone- do not call me back and do _not_ go complaining to Mom that I hung up on you in anger, because that is certainly not the case- I have dinner plans and you've made me late. By all means, call me tomorrow afternoon to see how it went. But under no circumstances are you to turn up to the meeting, nor are you to contact Matthew. I've got to go." And without saying goodbye she ended the call, grabbed her brown clutch bag, checked her reflection one last time and left the house.

Mary was pleased that the sun still shone as she walked towards her car. She was wearing a bright red sleeveless playsuit, bound at the waist with a brown rope style leather belt and had earlier wondered if she should have paired it with a pair of nice patterned tights. Now, with the sun still strong for a May evening, she was glad she hadn't- particularly because with tights, her new heeled clogs wouldn't have looked so good and she found that she loved how they looked with the playsuit.

She slammed her car door shut behind her and quickly sent a text to Matthew. _'Running a little late-leaving now. Waist outside for me? Sybil hates people being late and nobody wants to be on the wrong side of a pregnant woman xxx'_

When Mary had spoken with Matthew on the phone earlier that afternoon and suggested that she drove and picked him up on the way he'd disagreed and said he'd rather be the one to pick her up. She'd called him a traditionalist and insisted that while she liked that in him (very much), it made more sense for her to drive due to Matthews's flat being on her way to Sybil and Tom's home. Eventually, he agreed as long as she promised not to make a habit out of it. Mary had laughed and promised not to go out of her way to emasculate him and added, with a smile, that she was quite getting used to his chivalrous ways and was certainly not going to discourage them.

Mary heard her phone ping with a reply and waited until she was stationary at traffic lights before reading it. 'No, we certainly wouldn't want to upset her would we. See you soon xxxx'. Mary noted the amount of kisses at the end of his text, smirking to herself as she thought it more sweet than excessive as she may have done in the past. Feeling playful, she began to reply; simply typing a row of five, but traffic began to move and Mary cursed, dropping her phone into her lap before following suit. She was only minutes away from him the next time she found herself sat in traffic and rather than sending the row of five kisses, she canceled the message; that game would have to wait until another day.

...-...-...-

"I've got it" Tom called as the doorbell echoed through the house. Sybil placed the final two plates on the table and chewed on her lip, wondering if she _should_ have put that candle out in the middle; the table did look awfully bare. However, she told herself, the food was yet to be on the table and Tom had made enough to feed a family of 6.

"Sybil, darling." She heard her older sister's voice and turned to face her. "Shouldn't you be sat? Resting?"

Tom shook his head, "that's what I keep telling her."

"Nonsense. I was only setting the table. Matthew" she smiled, walking towards him and embracing him lightly. His eyes widened a little at her friendliness and Mary simply smiled.

"I did warn him about how touchy feely you are with pregnancy. I also told him that if he dared call you _Lady Sybil _then I'd be unable to protect him."

Sybil laughed and kissed her sister's cheek affectionately. "Yes, please don't." She turned to face Matthew and only then did she notice the small bouquet of brightly coloured flowers.

"Usually I'd bring wine, but I thought these more appropriate for our host." He held them out to her and Sybil took them with enthusiasm. "And I'll try to remember not to use the 'L' word." He was nervous, Mary could tell. It was shocking to her how quickly she was beginning to know his traits, picking up on his moods or what he was thinking. It was his hands that gave him away this time; clenched by his sides. She placed her palm on his back and he smiled down at her; that slow smile that made her melt more and more every time she saw it. Thankfully, their exchange had gone unnoticed by their hosts as Sybil found a vase for her flowers and Tom returned to the kitchen counter.

"I wish I'd made more of an effort now" Sybil spoke, turning from the flowers (now in the middle of the table) "you both look wonderful." Mary thanked her sister and stole another brief glance at Matthew as her little sister hovered around the kitchen, finding glasses and wine. He _did_ look great- he always did. He wore dark jeans and a white open collared shirt; the kind that fit snugly, with shorter rolled up sleeves which showed off his toned arms beautifully. She remembered him wearing a similar fitting shirt on his Birthday.

"Oh Sybil, don't be silly. You look beautiful, as always. Here." She stepped forward. "You sit, I'll get the drinks." Matthew had to try hard not to stare at her long lean legs. He shifted uncomfortably, wondering how he was ever going to manage the whole night in the company of others with her looking like _that_. "Matthew?" He blinked hard, hearing her call his name. "Wine with dinner?" He cleared his throat and nodded silently, his eyes roaming one last time as she turned to fill three glasses with red wine.

-...-...-

"More wine, Mary?" Tom asked, filling his own glass.

Mary shook her head "no thank you, i'm driving. Tom, this risotto is so good." She complimented as Tom offered Matthew more from the bottle of red and filled his glass.

"Thanks"

"See, I told you." Sybil grinned. "Everyone likes risotto. He was going to make lasagne" she informed their guests.

"Well, I'm sure that would have been just as lovely." Mary smiled, helping herself to a little more of the salad.

"How are you feeling Sybil?" Matthew asked from across the table, having been relatively quiet so far. "After last night, I mean. You can't have long left to go surely?"

"Why? Because I'm the size of a house?"

"No, I... I didn't mean. I-"

"Oh Sybil, don't be mean" Mary scolded with a smirk, placing her hand on Matthews's arm to reassure him. "She's playing with you."

"Sorry." Sybil laughed. "The baby is due in about two weeks now, so yes, not long to go." She took a small sip of her water. "I'm feeling ok. More embarrassed than anything; I'm a trainee doctor for goodness sake and I didn't realise it was false."

"I'm sure it happens all the time."

"I blame Tom anyway. The contractions had barely started and he was rushing around for the bags, calling the ambulance and then the family."

"The doctor told her to rest" Tom spoke up, answering Matthews's questions properly. "Her blood pressures a little high, but-"

"But nothing to worry about" Sybil finished. "Not unless I'm about to run a marathon" she laughed at her own joke.

"You must take it easy though darling" Mary told her.

"Thank you Mary" Tom nodded, "I'm constantly asking her to sit down."

Sybil rolled her eyes a little "you've made me 'take it easy for weeks' and I've listened- I have." She turned to Mary to assure her of such. "Anyway, enough about all that. I, we totally interrupted your date last night. You went to a fair?" She asked curiously.

Matthew nodded, swallowing a mouthful of food "just a local travelling one. We had a nice time didn't we?" He turned to Mary who was sat beside him and she nodded in confirmation.

"We never went as children" Sybil mused. "Well, I went to Thorpe Park once for a birthday party and of course Disney World but there's something so romantic about fairs. Oh!" She breathed, her eyes suddenly wide, "did he win you a soft toy Mary, like on the movies?" Mary laughed and Matthew soon followed.

"Not exactly"

"She won one for me."

"Well. That's certainly... Modern. Whatever would Granny say?" And she began to laugh along with Mary.

"Sybil tells me you just started a law firm Matt?" Tom mentioned.

Matthew nodded, ignoring the fact that he called him 'Matt'; he wasn't to know he didn't like it and it was certainly better than 'Matty'. "Yeah, it's going well. Recently hired a new lawyer to join us- 3 in total now and the clients are coming in."

"That's good, really good. I think it's really commendable when young people take the initiative to start from scratch" he spoke like an elder at the table, when in reality he was a couple of years younger than Matthew. "Just like Mary and her fashion line. I remember when I first met Sybil, she spoke about her success so much; she was so proud." Mary smiled at her sister across the table.

"Tom wants to open his own garage." Sybil informed the small group.

"Oh?" Mary asked, intrigued.

Tom nodded, "I've been thinking about it yeah. I do me own repairs on the cab and on some of me mates- cheap rates ya know. The business is it there, it's just getting started. Finding somewhere, the legalities. That kind of thing."

Matthew placed his glass back on the table "well, if you've ever got any legal questions, I'll be happy to help."

"Thanks mate, I appreciate it. I think it's something definitely for the future. We should get settled with the baby first though I think, see if Sybil wants to finish her studies or wait a few years."

"How long have you got left?" Matthew asked her.

Sybil sighed "too long. At least another two years. It depends what route I want to end up in eventually."

The group continued to talk about studies and work until Sybil asked if there was any dessert. Tom said there was ice cream in the freezer and the women decided it should be eaten in front of the tv and the group stood to clear the table. Mary took Sybil's plate as well as her own and moved across the spacious kitchen/dinner to the sink. "I'll wash up quickly."

"There's no need Mary" Tom told her.

"I don't mind. You did all the cooking and I won't allow Sybil to do it. Besides, you've already washed most of it" she nodded towards the pans and cooking instruments on the draining board.

Matthew joined Mary at the sink with his own plate, his voice low as he offered to help. Mary smiled up at him, touching his hand briefly in thanks. He returned to the table to collect the serving dishes and Tom voiced his objection again "oh no, I won't have both guests cleaning up."

Now sat back in her chair, Sybil sighed, reaching for Tom's wrist with one hand, the other resting on her large stomach. She shook her head slightly and widened her eyes in gesture to Mary and Matthew who were huddled at the sink together; Mary running the water as the pair spoke in low tones, both smiling. "Will you two be ok if we sit in the living room? I need to put my feet up."

"Of course" Matthew turned, answering politely as he returned to collect the glasses from the table.

"Mary you know where everything is?"

"I do. Go, both of you- go relax. This won't take long." She watched over her shoulder as Tom helped Sybil to her feet and the pair left the room. "Are you ok?" She asked Matthew with a smile.

"Of course. I like her- Sybil. Tom too. They're a nice couple." Mary nodded, lowering the plates into the soapy water. "Do they keep left overs?" He asked, holding the remainder of the risotto.

Mary shook her head "throw it."

He did as he was told, emptying the contents into the nearby bin before returning to her side. "You look lovely tonight." Hs voice was almost shy and Mary turned her head to look at him. "Sorry I've not had chance to tell you sooner, but you are, as always, extremely beautiful."

Mary hoped she wasn't blushing as deeply as she thought. It was the first time a man had directly told her she was beautiful in a way that didn't make her think he was after something. The way his eyes burned through hers made her spine tingle and she had to look away before she backed him into the fridge in a passionate embrace.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you" he whispered down into her ear and Mary could no longer stand there without responding. She turned slowly, her wet hand moving to his neck; their lips meeting softly and sweetly.

"You didn't embarrass me" she murmured before kissing him a again; a small kiss on his lips before moving away a little. She ran her hand down his chest, pulling at the collar of his shirt "you look great too." She moved her fingertips to his wrist and tenderly moved them up his arm until she reached the fold of his shirt "this style does a lot for you Mr Crawley." She'd managed to move the mood back to flirting and she was comfortable with this; it felt less serious and this time when she met his eyes, both pairs sparkled with playfulness.

"I could say the same for you Lady Mary." His eyes lowered and one of his hands came to rest on her hip; Mary knew his gaze was on her legs and she smirked. When selecting her choice of outfit, of course she thought of who she was dressing for, but she hadn't thought too much about just how much of her legs were on show.

"A leg man?" She teased.

He shook his head "I never knew what I was until I saw you in this."

"Mary?" Sybil's voice travelled from the hallway and Mary quickly stepped back a little, her face flushed. "Are you almost done? I'm hungry for ice cream and I want to show you the nursery."

Mary cleared her throat and put her hands back into the sink of water, passing Matthew a clean plate. He looked down at it for a few seconds before balancing it on the draining board with the others. "Yes, almost." She tried to sound casual and Sybil smirked, having caught the pair jumping away from each other; probably assuming more was going on than what was actually true.

"Well leave them to soak. I can't wait any longer." Mary did as she was told and dried her hands on a nearby tea towel when Tom returned to the kitchen, opening the fridge and offering Matthew a beer. "You boys do whatever boys do, we'll be right back."

Sybil had took hold of Mary's hand and led her through the hall, past the living room, downstairs toilet, and a small box room she used as a study and didn't let go until they reached the stairs. The home was a modest 4 bedroom detached house, completely different to what they grew up in as children, nothing like the manor Edith lived in now, or the town house Mary owned but it was right for them. At the top of the stairs, they passed the master bedroom and Sybil pushed open the door to the bedroom immediately after it. "Now maybe you'll finally believe me when I say we don't know what we're having yet."

Mary smiled "I believe you. It was Edith that thought you were keeping it to yourself." They stepped inside and Mary was met with a vision of mint green and light brown. "It's lovely Sybil."

They stepped further inside and Mary found herself 'aww'ing at the jungle themed bedding inside the cot. She momentarily frowned at herself; Mary never cooed over anything. Sybil pointed to the far wall and Mary turned to see hand painted animals around the window- a giraffe, elephant, tiger, lion and zebra. "It's beautiful."

"Tom did them. Who knew?"

"And we thought his own talent was with cars."

Sybil pushed Mary slightly "hey! He has more talents!"

Mary laughed, one eyebrow raised "I'm sure he does." Her tone was enough to tell Sybil what she was insinuating.

"That's not what I was talking about!" Sybil shrieked before laughing with her. "... But now that you mention it."

"No" Mary held up her palm "I don't want to know."

Sybil laughed harder, "no, no details. But even pregnant- this pregnant, he knows exactly what to do with me."

Mary groaned "Sybil, you're my _little_ sister."

"I'm your married and _pregnant_ sister and _you_ started it! Anyway, while we're on the subject... How are things with Matthew in that department? I saw you in the kitchen just now, practically ready to jump each other."

If there was anyone else within earshot, Mary was sure she'd have covered her face with her hands and refused to even listen to her questions. "We were not ready to-" she began to protest, but at Sybil's raised brow, Mary corrected herself, remembering that she was, indeed, ready to jump him, "well, we wouldn't have and who knows what he was thinking at that precise moment."

"But you?"

"It's his eyes" she whispered as if Matthew and Tom would be able to hear if she didn't. "And everything really but-"

"He has got pretty eyes. And that shirt!"

"Hey!"

Sybil laughed "sorry. But seriously, things are good in that department? They must be for you to be seeing him this often."

Mary crossed her ankles, swaying slightly "things haven't exactly progressed in that department yet." She spoke slow and purposefully.

"Really?" Mary nodded. "Wow" she breathed. "I'm shocked."

"Hey!" Mary poked her sister's arm "just because you're pregnant, don't think I won't hurt you."

Sybil stood back, looking her sister up and down slowly before settling on her face, "you know what. I'm impressed. I can't believe you've managed to hold out that long!"

"It's not even been two weeks Sybil."

"Considering the amount of times you've seen him... You've been drunk with him- that's long."

Mary considered this quietly for a moment before nodding "it's not because we haven't..." She stopped herself from speaking, knowing she couldn't possibly tell Sybil that if she hadn't received Tom panicked call the night before then she would indeed have already spent the night with Matthew- Sybil would never forgive herself... Well not in her present state anyway. "It _will_ be happening. Soon."

Sybil folded her arms across her large stomach, pursing her lips, her head nodding slowly "that shirt, those eyes..."

"Oh yeah."

Then suddenly, her expression changed and she grabbed Mary's hands enthusiastically. "Mary, you know what I think this means? Dating, waiting, the shirt, the eyes, Matthew." Mary looked at her little sister like she'd gone crazy and Sybil took this as permission to continue. "I think it finally means you found him."

Mary rolled her eyes; Sybil the sap was back.

"The one that'll ruin your lipstick instead of your mascara!" The excitement of her tone, the serious expression and the words she'd said mixed together was enough for Mary to burst into laughter. "I'm serious!"

"I know, I can tell. That's what's so funny." Mary laughed. "Where on earth do you come up with these things!?"

Sybil shrugged, a small pout gracing her lips as she let go of Mary's hands "I read it somewhere. Twitter I think."


	21. Chapter 21

_I cannot even express how sorry I am in the delay with this part. I work in education and the summer term is always crazy busy- I can't even explain how exhausting it can be... Anyway, in my determination to update I've written chunks of this each evening this week- which shows real determination as I usually write it all in one go... I apologise if this has made it read 'choppy' which lots of starts and stops._

_With that all said, of course I'd like to thank you all again for reading and reviewing. Without encouragement from my loyal readers and your kind words this may have come even later! It makes me happy to know that the development of the relationship is being well received- I do have to remind myself how long they've known each other when I'm writing sometimes- they can hardly just from "hi" to "I love you". I guess that's the trouble with writing them from a first meeting when we all know them already as a couple._

_Lisa, the parallel of the fair chapter to your life amused me... Just be careful not to call him Matthew... Unless that is his name of course._

_So, on with the show... And yes, the end of this chapter is definitely more M than anything else- you have been warned. _  
...-...-...

Nearing the kitchen behind her sister, Sybil smirked at the manly echo of laughter coming from inside. As she turned the corner both Tom and Matthew drained their beer bottles and placed them on the counter top. "You've done such a wonderful job of the nursery" she heard her sister compliment her husband.

"Thanks" Tom took the two empty bottles and brushed past Sybil to place them in the recycling. "Of course we knew the pair of ye would take ages so we cracked one open." He winked at his wife and she smiled softly up at him before waddling towards the freezer.

"Hmm" she peered inside, taking hold of two pints of ice cream, "half baked or caramel chew chew?" Sybil looked from Tom to Mary and Matthew who stood side by side leaning against the kitchen counter. Mary shrugged her shoulders a little so she turned to Tom again "babe?"

"Your choice"

Sybil grinned from ear to ear "I hoped you'd say that!" She stepped forward, thrusting the tub of caramel ice cream into her sister's hands before grabbing two spoons from a nearby drawer and exiting the kitchen, calling for Tom to join her.

Mary laughed a little, turning on her heels to look up at Matthew. She'd left her shoes by the door and without them she stood a good few inches shorter than him. "Does caramel work for you?"

"Sure"

"Good" she opened the same drawer Sybil had moments before, grabbing two spoons before pulling Matthew towards the living room by his wrist. Mary quickly surveyed the room; Sybil and Tom sat in the larger sofa, leaving a cosy two seater vacant and a large armchair. She smirked a little, imaging herself sat draped across Matthew in the chair, but knew it was hardly appropriate in her sister's house- never mind how uncomfortable it may make him. The sofa would have to do. Still holding onto his wrist, Mary pulled him towards the charcoal coloured sofa and nodded for him to sit.

"Mary, hurry up; you're in the way." Sybil protested, stretching her neck to see the tv.

"Someone's irritable" Mary commented with a raised eyebrow, lowering herself on the sofa close to Matthew. She handed him one of the spoons before curling her feet up onto the cushions and opening the tub of ice cream.

"This is nothing." Tom spoke up, "you should hear how much she complains in the mornings."

"Alright, alright. There's no need to gang up on the pregnant one," Sybil sighed, flicking through the tv channels, "besides... Ooh! Fashion Police." Tom groaned and Sybil laughed in response.

"I honestly don't know why you bothered flicking. I could have predicted we'd end up with this channel on." Mary giggled a little at her brother-in-law's protest, licking caramel swirled ice cream from her spoon. Matthew could barely keep his eyes off of her and the way her tongue slowly savoured the sweet sticky treat. "Honestly, all she seems to watch these days is fashion police and those bloody Kardashians."

"Mary, back me up here." Sybil spoke with a mouthful of ice cream.

Mary shook her head, her amused smile still painted on her face "I barely have time for tv at all, let alone for the Kardashians."

"But you like it, you've told me before you find them amusing. Please, just tell Tom it's not a load of rubbish."

"Fine. Tom, it's not a load of rubbish."

"Mary!"

Mary rolled her eyes "I did exactly as you asked." She laughed at her sister's dramatic pout before waving the ice cream tub in Matthew's direction, encouraging him to share it with her. He helped himself to a large spoonful and Mary shuffled closer to him.

"What about you Matt?" Tom asked, "can you stand these kinds of things?" He gestured towards the tv where a blonde woman who had clearly had too much cosmetic surgery introduced the show.

Matthew shook his head in defeat "I don't even know who the Kardashians are."

"See, come on Syb. This is hardly fair. Mary's not bothered and me and Matthew-"

"Shhh!" She sounded sharply. "We're not even watching them, it's fashion police. Watch it, it's funny, I just love Joan Rivers." Tom looked across the room towards Mary and Matthew for a little support but found them to be paying more attention to each other than the tv and sighed in defeat, wrapping an arm around his wife and helping himself to some ice cream.

Mary looked up at Matthew through her dark lashes, smiling as their spoons clashed together in the tub in search of another mouthful of the cold dessert. She moved her spoon from the tub to her mouth without looking away from him, licking ice cream from her lips. Matthew was completely mesmerised; almost forgetting where they were and who they were with. He wondered if she was doing it on purpose. He was sure he'd never seen ice cream eaten so sensually since his teenage experimentation with soft porn.

Suddenly Mary's body jolted a little and Matthew blinked hard, following her gaze to her thigh were cold droplets of water were falling from the tub. He pulled on his collar and shifted a little on the sofa, willing himself to look away. Mary wiped the water from her skin only for another drop to follow. She sighed and Matthew pulled himself together, clearing his throat and taking the tub from her "maybe bowls would have been the more sensible option?" He offered the suggestion.

Mary shrugged "what's the point in eating ice cream in front of the tv if you're going to put it in a bowl?"

Matthew frowned a little, not really understanding what she meant, but Sybil soon spoke up, adding "it's all part of the fun Matthew. With the tub, you can eat as much as you like... Put the lid on, take a break, go back for more." She didn't look at him as she spoke, instead she kept her eyes fixed upon the television.

"Besides" Mary's voice was smooth and low, "this way we get to share." She ended with a small flirtatious smile and Matthew followed suit, his eyes sparkling down at her. Mary shifted on the sofa, curling her legs further and moving herself closer to him as she pushed her spoon into the ice cream. She was a little off balanced now in her position and naturally placed her arm on the back of the sofa behind Matthew for comfort.

"Ooh, Mary!" Sybil exclaimed, and both Mary and Matthew turned their attentions to her. "They're talking about you- well, Lady Mary... One of your dresses- look!" Her eyes were wide with excitement, almost as though she'd never seen one of Mary's creations on the red carpet or tv before.

Matthew was immediately interested; not because he enjoyed fashion, but because he was interested in _her_. Mary grimaced a little, nervously looking out the corner of her eye at Matthew who now sat watching the television intently. She knew how brutal this show could be, Joan in particular and didn't fancy being the subject of ridicule in front of him.

_'This dress, I love this dress, but someone should have told her to put on a bra!'_

Mary smirked a little at Joan's outrage and almost sighed in relief that the criticism was on the actress' lack of support. The rest of the panel went in to argue that the woman looked stunning but that she could have accessorised a little more and soon Sybil was asking the men in the room to share their opinion, "Tom, what do you think? I think she looks stunning."

Tom curled his lip a little, clearly uncomfortable with the question, hoping to god that it wasn't a trick. "Well, she could have put one on... It's obviously chilly out and the dress is borderline transparent..." He trailed off a little as Sybil rose an eyebrow.

"She's beautiful and she should be allowed to flaunt her body in any way she likes, especially done in such a classy way as she has done... Matthew? What's your opinion?"

"I- er-"

Mary laughed loudly at his obvious discomfort and placed a soothing hand on his forearm. "You don't have to answer her, she's just getting overly involved as usual." Matthew breathed a small sigh of relief and settled back comfortably against the sofa. He felt Mary's fingers in his hair and shivered a little in delight as her nails scraped lightly down the back of his neck. He noticed that she was now paying attention to the television, her spoon sitting in the ice cream along with his. Matthew gently and hesitantly placed a palm on her bare knee and smiled a little when her free hand moved to join his.

He turned his head a little, instantly grabbing her attention, "have you finished with the ice cream?" His voice was barely above a whisper and Mary almost shivered when his breath reached her cheek. She nodded slowly and he squeezed her knee a little before standing up and taking the tub and both spoons back to the kitchen.

"Sybil, darling." Mary spoke up over the television. "I think Matthew and I are going to call it a night." Mary hoped she hadn't misread the reason for him clearing away, but as lovely as the evening had been, her need and curiosity to be alone with Matthew had been increasing by the minute and she quickly took the opportunity to excuse them.

...-...-...

Matthew heard the door close behind them and he sighed a quiet sigh of relief. He'd enjoyed the night much more than he thought he would have and the company of both Sybil and Tom had been wonderful; he felt as though he'd learnt even more about Mary just from watching how she interacted with each of them. Yet, now outside, following Mary to her car parked on the side of the road, he felt as though he could relax freely. Being so close to Mary; with her curled up beside him on the sofa, he'd had to remind himself not to relax too much- it wasn't his flat, nor her house and they were in the company of others; never mind the fact that he and Mary were still very much in the early stages of getting to know each other and he constantly felt nervous about saying or doing the wrong thing.

They climbed into the car silently, put on their seat belts and Mary started the engine. Music immediately began to play from the radio and Mary reached to turn it down a little. During the drive back to Matthews's flat, he complimented her on what a charming sister she had and Mary smiled, replying with such warmth when she spoke about her. Matthew liked Tom and shared this with Mary who immediately agreed and shared a little about the family conflict that arose when Sybil first took him home to meet their parents. Matthew felt his stomach dip nervously, despite already meeting Mary's mother, he knew she wanted him to attend one of their family dinners and the thought of that alone terrified him, never mind the added terror in the tales he was hearing from Mary about how her Father attempted to 'ban' her younger sister from seeing Tom during the early stages of their relationship.

The car came to a stop and Mary turned a little in her seat to face Matthew, her hands still on the steering wheel; her fingers tapping nervously. Matthew looked out of the window to the entrance of the building and then turned to face Mary, inhaling deeply. Mary chewed lightly on the corner of her lip for a few moments before she finally spoke, breaking the silence that had swept over them and felt increasingly intense. "I'm..." She cleared her throat, forcing herself to sound more confident than she felt, "I'm afraid that if you don't invite me in, I'll result in kidnapping you and driving you back to mine." She couldn't help the playful smile that followed her sentence, albeit the slight nervous shake of her voice towards the end of her threat and the nervous butterflies flying excessively around in her stomach.

Matthew's eyes widened in surprise. While he was disappointed that he hadn't summoned the courage to ask her inside first, her words were a gentle comfort to him; if he hadn't been sure before that she wanted the same as he, then he was now. Matthew pursed his lips in amusement, speaking slowly to ensure that his words exited his mouth the way he wanted them to and not in a jumbled mess. "Of course I was going to invite you in, it would be very ungentlemanly of me not to do so and I wouldn't want to ruin that chivalrous image you have of me."

Mary's eyes sparkled flirtatiously, her words spoke in the lowest purr "mmm. I suppose that could be disputed... Inviting me in could be seen as both gentlemanly _and_ ungentlemanly depending on one's point of view."

Matthew swallowed hard, his pulse increasing in pace; more so at her tone than the words she spoke. "And what would your point of view be in that matter Lady Mary?" He whispered, unintentionally leaning towards her in his seat. "In which way would you like me to behave? Gentlemanly or-"

"Both" while her voice was still low and smooth, the confidence in her one word answer that interrupted his question was almost enough for him to pounce on her right there inside her car... Almost.

-...-...

Mary folded her hands together in front of her, the sound of Matthew's keys jingling as he unlocked the door to his flat. She took a few seconds to take in her surroundings; the communal hall was dark and unwelcoming, there were 2 other doors and a flight of stairs leading towards another floor with an unknown number of flats above them. It made her wonder if this is what it would have been like if she'd gone to university. If she'd have lived in a flat, house shared, or if she'd have let her parents rent her a house; Edith had gone for the latter, while Sybil, of course, shared a house and paid her own way for her first years at university- until she met Tom and eventually moved in with him.

The opening of the door and Matthew's hand on her elbow guiding her inside interrupted her thoughts and she smiled a small smile up at him. Matthew hung his keys on a hook and pushed the door closed with his foot, her grinned down at her, observing that she appeared a little nervous in comparison to just moments earlier in her car.

His fingers moved slowly from her elbow and down towards her hand, finally capturing her fingers within his and pulling her to him, his free hand pushing her hair away from her face before coming to rest on the curve of her neck.

She could feel his breath on her lips and her eyes fell shut prematurely, her lips parting naturally and in the smallest of moments, she felt the softness of his lips upon hers. She wrapped both arms around his neck and felt his palm flat against her back.

The caramel flavoured kiss was full of passion. Matthew sucked gently on Mary's bottom lip and he felt her small whimper before he heard it. Her body moulded into his and she eagerly accepted the invasion of his to tongue. After another small whimper from Mary, he moved his hands to her hips and stepped back a little to put some distance between them, taking a few seconds to catch his breath. "I have been waiting all night to do that." Matthew rasped.

From where they now rested on his shoulders, Mary's hands traced down his chest; her eyes following their slow path. Her breathing was heavy too, the kiss being even more intense that the one they'd shared the night before. Eventually she took a small step backwards, breaking all physical contact and cleared her throat. A slow smile crept onto her swollen lips. "Are you not going to give me a guided tour?"

"Oh" Matthew's eyes widened a little,"yes of course." He looked around himself, registering that they'd only made it 2 steps inside; the same as the night before. Two evenings in a row she'd been inside his flat and on both occasions she'd seen nothing of it. "There's not much to see" he warned her and stepped around the corner gesturing for her to follow. He pointed to each area of the open plan living space as he spoke simply, "living room, kitchen."

Mary laughed lightly at his very manly approach to a guided tour and walked further into the living area and towards a shelf which held books and DVDs. She scanned over the titles and nodded somewhat in approval before turning to face him, still stood in the same place as before. She bit her lip and smiled cheekily before walking towards the kitchen area, around the counter and towards the fridge. She purposefully looked over her shoulder at him before pulling open the refrigerator door. "A proper bachelor pad then I see" she concluded, taking inventory of the stocked up bottled beer, orange juice, eggs, cheese and not much else.

By now, Matthew her joined her in the kitchen and was stood directly behind her. He reached forward and Mary almost jolted as his hand grazed her hip. She watched as he pulled open a fridge drawer to show her a selection of salad and she rolled her eyes a little "Ok. A healthy bachelor" she corrected for his benefit and pushed the door closed. She smiled as he stepped forward to place a small, gentle kiss on the side of her mouth and had to remind herself to show a little self control as the urge to pull him towards her washed over. She inhaled deeply and her eyes scanned over the rest of the room, noticing a shopping list chalked onto a small blackboard and a few pieces of fruit scattered in a silver bowl. "Is that...?" She smiled, already knowing the answer, stepping towards the other side of the counter where the pink bunny from the fair sat on the coffee canister. She picked it up and turned to Matthew, presenting him with her findings.

His shy smile was sweet and endearing. He stepped towards her and took the soft toy from her hand, putting it back where she'd found it. "That's so sweet." She told him and it wasn't until he met her eyes that he realised she was being sincere and not teasing him like he thought.

It was a few moments more before either of them spoke again and it was Mary who broke their silence. "Are we going to finish this tour?" Her voice was barely above a whisper and Matthew simple nodded, taking hold of her hand and walking her across the living space.

He pushed open one door with his free hand, "storage" he told her simply, closing the door and moving onto the next, "bathroom". Mary poked her head around the corner and nodded at the simple, clean room, before he closed the door as he had with the one before and then opened the last "bedroom".

They stood in the doorway; he was yet to close the door again and she was yet to look inside. Eventually they stepped in together and Mary discretely looked around. Instead of snooping as she had in the kitchen, she stood on the spot, her hand still in Matthew's as she took mental note of the alarm clock on a bedside table, a simple wardrobe and chest of drawers, the grey bed sheets neat on his king sized bed. "And that's it" his voice startled her a little and she turned towards him slowly.

Matthew looked down at her, then behind him at the open door before settling on her once more. Mary took a deep breath. She wondered how they got here; how they'd gone from gasping for breath at his front door to feeling awkward in his bedroom. She felt Matthew's fingers twitch against her palm and decided that someone needed to make the first move before they spent another night wondering what it could have been like to be together.

"Well I suppose we should stop pretending we don't know what's going to happen here" she let go of his hand and stepped closer, placing her palms on his waist. The intensity of his eyes caused Mary to swallow hard and she almost forgot to speak her next words. "There really is no point in postponing the inevitable" her voice was now much lower than usual, shaky almost. Thankfully, Matthew didn't need anymore encouragement and with a small and arguably smug smile he pulled her just the smallest bit closer; his fingers brushing low on the small of her back as he did so.

Mary's breath caught at the back of her throat; the intensity of his kiss making her knees feel as though they could collapse at any given second. She wrapped her arms around his neck, one hand finding its rightful place in his hair.

As the kiss continued, Matthew attempted to pull her impossibly closer. Mary's lips curved against his when she heard him grown, recognising this as a consistent reaction to her nails scraping against his scalp. She pulled at his bottom lip a little with her teeth before capturing it between both if hers with enthusiasm. The next time Matthew attempted to pull her against him more than physically possible, she wavered a little and almost lost her balance. Matthew grasped her hips firmly and muttered the question "bed?" into her mouth.

With an unconscious refusal to remove her lips from his, Mary's attempt to nod in reply wasn't as successful as she'd hoped and instead resulted to stepping backwards, pulling along Matthew with her and blindly searching for his bad. With a little help from the bed's owner, the back of Mary's knees crashed into the bed and the pair fell onto it.

Matthew quickly rolled them over so they were now side by side, his hands free to explore her curves. Mary hummed into his mouth when she felt his fingers brush along her bare thigh before tracing the hem of her playsuit. The tips of his fingers moved beneath the fabric for a short time before she felt him tugging at it a little. Breathlessly, she dragged her lips away from his and looked down to offer him some guidance. He tugged again and she shook her head, sitting up on the bed. "Is not a dress" she told him, reaching to pull her hair over one shoulder and unfasten the few buttons at the back.

Matthew quickly understood and crawled around her, "let me" it was less of an offer and more of a demand. She'd already unfastened one of the 3 buttons and Matthew quickly got to work on the final 2. Once the task was completed he leant down and placed a single tender kiss on the back of her neck. Mary's hum of approval came from the back of her throat and she reached with one hand to hold him there. Matthew grinned and placed a few more slow, tender kisses on her neck before moving to her shoulder and pushing the garment aside. Mary quickly unfastened the belt at her waist and pulled her arms free. Once the red playsuit was at her waist, Mary laid down and Matthew pulled in over her hips and down her legs. Moments later he was showering her stomach with kisses and Mary impatiently pulled at his shoulders. Once she finally gained his attention she sat up and got to work on his shirt.

After an initial fumble over buttons, it hadn't taken Mary long to rid Matthew of his shirt and trousers. She sighed in pleasure as his lips traveled over her lace covered breasts. Matthew took advantage of an arch of her back and quickly reached to unfasten her bra and unveil her to him.

If he'd given himself even a second to comprehend what was happening he may have lost his nerve. Of course, like most men, Matthew had enjoyed his fair share of women, but he'd only dated a small handful of them and none had made him feel as nervous as Mary did. The kind of nervous that caused the hair on his arms to stand on end, the type that made his stomach turn in knots and his mind wonder endlessly about what might become of them. Kissing her and touching her stopped him from thinking so he continued to explore the taste of her skin, he continued to learn what made her moan and arch her body towards him; he simply continued to _feel_ and when he felt her gentle hand guide him towards her slick heat he almost lost it completely.


	22. Chapter 22

_I'm not going to try and make excuses about why this has taken so long... Yes I was busy for a week or two. But 41 days!? That's how long it's been apparently. _

_Thank you so much for your reviews, support and patience. I've had a couple of reminders these least couple of weeks which has certainly helped with getting me motivated again._

_I'm glad the last chapter as enjoyed. Here's a bit more..._

...-...-...

Mary wasn't sure if it was the rain pelting against Matthew's bedroom window or her internal alarm clock that woke her. Comfortable in his bed, with the duvet resting just above their waists, Mary lay still; unmoving to avoid the risk of waking him. It had been a long time since she'd woken in a man's bed and an even longer time, Mary pondered, since she'd woken up next to a man without regret.

She hadn't woke in his embrace, but close enough for her to know she'd either reached for him during sleep or fell from his embrace as sleep relaxed them further. She couldn't remember falling asleep; couldn't remember if they'd held each other as sleep took over. She remembered talking, lots of talking. She remembered his shy sweet smile after their sweaty bodies came to rest on top of the sheets.

She could feel and hear him breathing steadily next to her. Her forehead almost pressed against his torso, her hand resting gently on his hip; yet she still didn't move. She couldn't feel his arm around her but knew from his position that it was stretched out behind her. She smiled, remembering the way he'd made her feel; the way he'd made every effort to worship every inch of her body and how impatient he'd made her that she had to reach for him and guide him towards her entrance.

Mary moved her foot a little and quickly became aware that her right leg was tangled between the two of his. She slowly and tentatively traced her toe over his calf, feeling the hair on his leg rake across her nail. Manly, she decided, that's how he felt beside her; manly and she felt small and delicate. _Delicate_; Mary used to detest the word as a young girl when used as a reason for her being unable to do something. _"No Mary, you cannot. You're a girl. A lady. Ladies are supposed to be gentle and dainty and delicate"_. Mary sighed, for the first time she felt delicate in a way in which she liked, a way that made her feel even more womanly than she ever had before; in a way that made her feel sensual and sexual, yet looked after all at the same time. And it was just this man; the sleeping form of this man she'd spent the night with that made her feel that way. The taunt skin of his hip under her fingers, his strong hairy calf under her foot, his deep even breathing. Again, her foot moved against his leg, this time with more purpose; a need to explore this feeling further, a need to explore _him_ further.

The sound of the rain slowly rose Matthew into a state of consciousness, yet his eyes remained closed. He felt the light tickle of her breath against his torso and a hand in his hip. _Mary_ he smiled inwardly, fighting the urge to stretch as he usually would in the mornings to avoid the risk of waking her. Finally he opened his eyes and they slowly drifted down to the vision of dark curls and pale skin; skin the shade of the most beautiful pearl he decided.

Last night he'd been incredibly nervous from the moment they stepped inside his flat. She was right in what she'd said; they both knew what was going to happen. Matthew had dreamt of it happening. Of course no dream could compare to the reality of her skin next to his, their lips merging together, breathing each other in as they kissed endlessly throughout their exploration of each other.

He'd tried to take his time with her, he really had. From the first second she kissed him in his bedroom; the way her voice became even smoother before she did so made him ready to pounce. He'd refrained from lifting her from the floor and throwing her down on the bed; he'd ignored that animalistic need just to _have_ her and instead attempted to enjoy and remember every inch of her. Of course, even if he'd given into said animalistic desire, his nerves probably wouldn't have allowed it. He'd been so clumsy at first; forgetting that's she had on some sort of short suit, pulling up the hem as if it was going to come off like a dress; he just needed to _feel_ her next to him. When he finally did, he was overcome with need to touch and taste her creamy and lightly freckled skin, his tongue paying particular attention to each one he found.

Mary, however, had been impatient. Her whimpers and moans of approval had given him the confidence to continue his exploration; to become bolder, knowing she was enjoying what he was doing. She had ridden him of the remainder of his clothing very quickly, a deep moan escaping from the back of her throat once she'd guided him towards her heat and they finally joined together.

Matthew wished he'd lasted longer, but it had been quite some time since he'd been with a woman and the feeling of Mary warm and tight around him almost sent him over the edge immediately. He'd slowed his pace, attempting to prologue the act, however Mary's arousal was just as strong as his he'd realised as she encouraged him to continue by wrapping her limbs around him; her legs tight around his hips, her fingers clinging to his back, her hips moving in rhythmic circles; she was just as close as he was.

Matthew made every effort to breathe steadily as he thought about the previous night. He wondered what today would bring; a meeting with Mary and the opposing party at his office, he knew that much. He knew keeping professional around her today was going to be difficult, especially now. He'd have to keep his hands to himself, he decided, and his eyes for that matter. Their last meeting had been difficult enough, but now he knew what lie beneath her clothing, her knew how to find the exact spot behind her ear that made her arch towards him. He knew so many things, yet he couldn't wait to find out more.

He felt her shift a little beside him and then her foot against his leg, her nail lightly scraping along his calf. She stilled again and Matthew wondered if she was awake or simply moving in her sleep. He turned his head to look at the rain outside. The sky was filled with grey clouds and Matthew enjoyed the contrast of the depressing image of a rainy spring morning and the pure contentment he was feeling inside the walls of his small flat with a beautiful and endearing woman. He felt her foot against him again, this time for longer; seemingly with more purpose and he concluded that she must now be awake.

An instant smirk graced Matthew's sleepy features, his eyebrows lifting as he bent the arm that had been sprawled out behind Mary, initiating a tentative morning embrace. His fingers lightly brushed the bare skin of her back before his palm came to settle on her waist.

His movement and the sudden contact jolted Mary from her thoughts; her foot instantly stilled and she slowly craned her neck to look up at him. His grin became wider and eventually turned into a shy, sweet smile; the smile Mary was finding increasing irresistible. _Adorable_ would be a good would to describe that smile; a word she would have never expected to describe a smile she found so attractive in a man. His fingers tightened, pulling her closer and Mary found herself returning the smile without even having to think about it as she shifted her position.

She suddenly became very aware of their state of undress; not that she was surprised, she knew when she woke up that they were clearly and obviously both still naked. She wasn't particularly uncomfortable with her body; not anymore than any other woman anyway, but she suddenly became quite shy about it. She reached for the sheet and slowly pulled it up to her chest, blushing slightly as she shifted her position and rested her head on the pillow beside Matthew.

"Did you sleep well?" He asked her, turning onto his side and propping himself up with his elbow.

"Yes, I did. Extremely well actually." It took every effort for her to keep eye contact with him and not allow her gaze to follow the trail of hair from his chest, down his stomach and beyond the sheet at his waist.

"Good." Matthew inhaled deeply, looking down at her; he wasn't sure if he'd noticed the faint freckles on her face until now but they only made her even more beautiful. He gently pushed a stray brunette curl from her forehead and inched his way closer, intent on kissing her good morning.

Mary's eyes widened a little and she quickly placed her palm against his chest, turning her face away from him. Matthew paused and raised his eyebrows in question, his hand coming to rest on her hip. Mary pushed him a little further away with her palm before turning to face him again, grinning a little at his confused expression. "This might be news to you Matthew, but morning breath really isn't a myth."

Matthew rolled his eyes a little in response, attempting to lean towards her again.

"Matthew" she scolded.

She was serious, he now understood. "Well then, let me just..." He lowered his head slightly and instead placed a warm tender kiss on the side of her neck. Mary smiled, her eyes closing and as his soft lips lingered against her skin she hummed in approval, her hand lifting to caress the hair on the back of his head. "Good morning" his lips vibrated against her neck.

"Hmmm. Morning." His kisses moved from her neck to her jaw and soon Mary found that he'd captured her hands; their fingers perfectly laced together. Matthew grinned, placing one last tender kiss on her chin before bravely capturing her lips for a short, sweet kiss.

Matthew pulled back a little, watching as Mary's eyes slowly fluttered open. Her smile was small and tight as if she was trying to hide it "that was rather sneaky of you" she told him, clearly trying to sound more serious than she was.

Before he had chance to respond, her lips were on his. She kissed him slowly, her mouth parting slightly to capture his bottom lip and when his lips parted in response the kiss deepened a little. After a short time Matthew broke the kiss, "has Lady Mary changed her mind? Morning breath isn't so insulting after all?"

Mary rolled her eyes before curling her fingers behind his neck and pulling him towards her. His lips brushed against hers in a sweet caress and soon, he had rolled onto his back with Mary's upper body on top of his; their kisses becoming increasingly heated. Matthew's fingers lightly traced the shape of her spine and she almost shivered in response.

Their lips broke apart and Mary gently pushed his hair back; raking her fingers through it. Matthew admired her gentle features, his gaze quickly moving from her face to her long neck, her collar bone and then places the sheet kept hidden. He inhaled deeply, wondering if she'd object to a repeat performance of the night before. After all, he hadn't exactly completed his mission to explore every inch of her due to Mary's impatience. He wanted to worship her until she could physically take no more. Matthew glanced to his left at the clock on his bedside table, wondering how long he had until his usual morning alarm started to ring. Unfortunately for him, Mary's eyes followed his and just as he registered that the shrill alarm wouldn't ring for another 40 minutes, Mary jumped up from his embrace, holding the sheet close to her body. "Why didn't you tell me how late it was?"

"I didn't know... It's not late." Matthew frowned; he always got up early and was often criticised by his friends for his 'over enthusiastic work ethic', could Mary be even worse than he was?

"Matthew, you may be able to crawl out of bed, into the shower and be ready within 30 minutes but I cannot. I need to get home, get ready and _then_ get to work." She turned away from him and sat on the edge of the bed, her eyes searching frantically for her clothes.

"Just stay for breakfast" Matthew insisted, crawling up behind her and placing his lips on her shoulder.

"No time... Where on earth are my clothes?"

Matthew grabbed his boxers from the floor and stepped into them before walking a few paces to retrieve Mary's playsuit. He found her bra a little further away and her tangled thong slightly under the bed. He passed them to her and she smiled gratefully. "Take a shower here while I make something to eat; you need to have breakfast."

His eyes were bright and hopeful and Mary almost gave in to him. "I'll eat at the office."

Matthew shook his head, pulling open a drawer and handing Mary a white t shirt and a pair of boxers. "Shower, clean clothes to go home in, breakfast. I even have a spare toothbrush in the bathroom cabinet. I promise, you won't be late."

Mary sighed, looking at the clothes Matthew held in his hand. Slowly she took them from him. "You should know Matthew, that I don't take too kindly to people telling me what to do."

"I should consider myself lucky then."

Mary grinned "very." And with that Matthew turned and exited the bedroom. She watched him go, admiring his form in nothing but his underwear. Moments later she heard running water and Matthew calling out that if she didn't get in the shower now she really _would_ be late and it wouldn't be his fault. Mary smiled softly, dropping her crumpled clothes on the floor and stood from the bed. She wrapped herself in a navy robe hung on the back of his bedroom door and held the clothes he'd given her close to her body as she left the room.

Matthew was already searching the cupboards and quickly asked "porridge? Toast? Eggs?"

Breakfast for Mary was usually toast while driving on her way to work or coffee and a croissant Anna fetched from Starbucks. She paused in the bathroom doorway, mulling over the options for a few seconds. "Can you poach?" She asked.

Matthew smiled enthusiastically, happy he had persuaded her to stay. "Poached egg, toast and coffee?" He checked.

Mary smirked "lots of coffee" she affirmed before closing the door behind her.


End file.
